Britbet to take over from the UK Tote Group as pool betting host and operator at 19 racecourses

Racegoers at 19 British racecourses will be greeted by a new offer from November 1 as Britbet takes over as both host and operator for pool betting on those tracks from the Tote.

The agreement involves the 16 racecourses run by Arena Racing Company (Arc), which include Doncaster, Chepstow, Lingfield and Newcastle, as well as independents Hexham, Newton Abbot and Ripon.

In January it was announced that Britbet, a partnership of 56 racecourses providing pool betting on British tracks, had renewed a long-term deal to deliver liquidity into the pools hosted by the UK Tote Group.

However, this time that deal did not involve the Arc tracks and three independents who have made their own arrangements.

The new agreement means that later this year racegoers placing pool bets at the 19 courses involved will do so at Britbet-branded outlets, with their wagers going into Britbet-hosted pools powered by betting software built by betting technology company i-Neda.

It is expected that the core bets offered at the Britbet-branded racecourses will mirror those elsewhere, as will takeout rates, while an 'SP guarantee' will be offered on the Britbet pools at Britbet racecourses.

However, new bet types including a Superfecta, which requires punters to pick the first four finishers in the correct order, and Pick 4 and Pick 6 bets similar to the Jackpot, are set to be introduced.

"We are very conscious of the customer experience and are keen to ensure that is maintained," said Britbet managing director Nigel Roddis.

Despite the move, access to core bet types on races at the courses involved is also expected to be available on the UK Tote website and app, while all Placepot bets will go into pools hosted by the Tote as usual.

Pools on core bet types are not set to be separated, and Arc and Britbet said they expected liquidity to stand up, with money coming into the pools from both the 'home' and 'away' racecourses, along with both retail and online off-course betting and international customers.

The international aspect was something Brendan Parnell, managing director of media and international at Arc, said it was keen to build.

He added: "We think this is a long-term positive for UK racing. It enables us to take leadership of who is accessing the different pools, build the global liquidity and then, by working with Britbet and i-Neda, innovating with both product and experience.

"Overall, that helps us reinvest back into racing because while our prize-money and our overheads continue to grow, we still need to invest more back into our racing business.

"We look forward to working with the Britbet team to deliver the highest levels of service and introduce some exciting new bet types for our customers to enjoy in the Superfecta and Pick 4. We look forward to bringing global liquidity into these Britbet pools.”

Roddis said Britbet had been operating betting pools on greyhound tracks since 2022, taking bets on-course and through off-course channels, "so we already have experience of operating pools end-to-end".

He added: "Branching out into horseracing is a positive step and we are excited about the possibility it presents as we continue in our efforts to deliver the best customer experience for the benefit of our racecourse partners. We are owned by the racecourses and work with them to provide a range of services. 

"We are delighted to work with Arc, while also continuing the excellent partnership we have with the UK Tote and the delivery of racegoers liquidity to their pools from the majority of racecourses."

Ascot, Chester and Bangor are not part of Britbet as they have their own in-house betting operations.

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