News from the Tote
Introduction
Welcome to the August update from the Tote about our latest developments. This month we are focusing on the imminent launch of the Tote’s new Placepot App, along with an update on Tote Ten to Follow and our wider business performance.
As ever we are very grateful to the team at the ROA for sharing these updates on our behalf.
If at any point you have any further questions, or areas you would like to discuss with us in more detail, please email our Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Susannah Gill, on [email protected].
Plenty of high-class racing to enjoy
Like every racing fan we have been enjoying the high-class racing in recent weeks.
We are particularly delighted to see the news that ITV will be airing up to 100 days of racing a year until the end of 2023. The ITV team are fantastic partners of racing and it is hugely encouraging to see the positive viewing figures, and this has been matched by strong engagement from Tote customers on tote.co.uk.
We are utilising opportunities to showcase the value offered by the Tote. A notable example was the Investec Derby which saw the Tote dividend on Serpentine pay £32.50 compared the industry Starting Price of 25/1:
And with Tote Guarantee in place the Tote cannot be beaten on price. If you are placing a Win bet with the Tote you are guaranteed to receive at least the Industry Starting Price (SP) or the pool price if it is bigger – as it was for the Derby. This has been an important innovation as it takes away the uncertainty of betting with the Tote and has received incredibly positive feedback from customers. Tote Guarantee is available on tote.co.uk on all UK hosted pools on French and Irish racing and will continue to be trialled on racecourses as the situation allows.
Launch of a Placepot App
Nearly all leading betting operators have an App and the Tote will have one available in the App Store (iOS devices) or Google Play (Android devices) later in August.
We wanted to take this opportunity to share some background with you about its creation.
Before undertaking work to create an App we carried out research to ask what customers like about the Tote. There were three clear and consistent messages:
- Customers like the Tote because it’s seen as an intrinsic part of a raceday, normally enjoyed with friends and family;
- Customers like the Tote team on racecourses who are always helpful and friendly; and
- Customers really love the Placepot. It is by far the most popular Tote bet.
Customers of other betting companies tend to be happy with the betting apps they have already chosen to download and do not necessarily feel a need for another betting app.
However, our research illustrated that they will download a specialist “Placepot App” because it is assumed it will be a better way to experience a bet that they are already familiar and engaged with. Therefore, the first Tote App is a “Placepot App” which is aiming to recreate what customers already like about the Tote.
The Placepot App will be available later in August to download from the App Store (iOS devices) or Google Play (Android devices). It will look like this on your phone:
The first version of the Placepot App provides a range of services, including:
- a dedicated journey to all Tote multileg products;
- the introduction of “Betty”, a free-text betting messaging service, helping to recreate the friendly service from the Tote team on racecourses;
- offering penny perms to encourage engagement throughout race meetings;
- offering free streaming on racing, as the Tote website does;
- connecting seamlessly to the Tote website site and wider products; and
- offering notification functionality so customers are kept up to date with their betting activity.
Future versions of the App will introduce a number of innovations which seek to provide further information to customers to aid their betting choices and create a more interactive experience wherever possible.
Please download and use the Placepot App when it is available and as ever we would welcome any feedback at [email protected] as we continue to innovate and improve our customer offering.
Tote Ten to Follow
There are nearly 30,000 stables entered in the Flat season’s Tote Ten to Follow, including a Private League for ROA members, with the winner of the league eligible to win a month’s training fees.
The current leader is Elysian Stable but it could all change with the mid-season transfer window opening on Friday. Between Friday 14th and Tuesday 18th August each player can swop up to two horses in their stable(s) in order to maximise opportunities to collect points during the remaining summer festivals at York and Doncaster, ahead of the competition’s conclusion at Qipco British Champions Day on Saturday 17th October.
And finally….
The Tote was proud to support the Injured Jockeys Fund’s 9 Lives Challenge. We sponsored the amazing Laura Scott and racing legend Brough Scott who cycled 104 miles of the total 560 miles covered by the nine beneficiaries and their celebrity partners. A huge congratulations to everyone who took part!
Thank you for reading and we look forward to keeping you informed about the Tote’s progress in September.