World Pool offers racing fans exceptional value at Royal Ascot

22 June 2021

Racing fans betting into World Pool, pioneered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Tote and Ascot racecourse in 2019, and played in Britain and Ireland via the Tote, have once again enjoyed exceptional value at Royal Ascot.

For the third year at Royal Ascot, World Pool saw over 20 leading racing nations, including the UK, Hong Kong, Australia, Singapore, South Africa and the US betting into a single pool for the 35 races which generated total liquidity of £129 million (over US$178 million).

World Pool currently includes five bet types. These are Win, Place, Trifecta (1st 2nd and 3rd in correct order), Quinella (first two in either order) and Swinger (two in the first three).

Alongside World Pool, the Tote provides customers betting on tote.co.uk with extra value. This includes Tote Guarantee which ensures the Win price always matches or exceeds the Industry Starting Price (SP), while Tote+ (Tote Plus) gives all customers a 10% dividend enhancement on every winning bet.

This year’s World Pool at Royal Ascot saw the Tote+ Win price beat the Industry SP on 21 occasions and match on 14 occasions across the 35 races. This resulted in a 11% higher return, compared to SP, for Tote+ bets placed on tote.co.uk, based on placing a £1 bet on each winner during the week.

The Tote+ Trifecta consistently over performed against the bookmakers’ Tricast, beating it on 29 occasions and paying an average of 87% more per race across the five days. 

Alastair Warwick, Managing Director, Ascot Racecourse Ltd said: "We launched World Pool at Royal Ascot two years ago and it has gone from strength to strength. Our thanks to our international partners in Hong Kong and the Tote in the UK. We are much looking forward to the inaugural World Pool operating at the King George and on Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Day for the first time this year."

Alex Frost, Chief Executive, UK Tote Group said: “It has been another wonderful five days of racing at Royal Ascot which we are all hugely privileged to have been able to enjoy, both in person and via the excellent TV coverage. We would like to congratulate the whole team at Ascot for all their hard work in making this possible.

“We are delighted World Pool has once again delivered exceptional value for Tote customers with enormous pools created by racing fans from around the world. We very much look forward to continuing to work with the Hong Kong jockey Club and partners across British racing on the upcoming World Pool days this summer.”

Following the QIPCO 2000 Guineas Day, Cazoo Derby Day and Royal Ascot, there will be another 10 World Pool days for British racing in 2021:

·       Coral-Eclipse Day – Sandown Park Racecourse, Saturday 3rd July

·       QIPCO King George Diamond Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 24th July

·       The first three days of the Qatar Goodwood Festival - Goodwood Racecourse, Tuesday 27th July to Thursday 29th July

·       Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 7th August

·       The first three days of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival – York Racecourse, Wednesday 18th to Friday 20th August

·       QIPCO British Champions Day – Ascot Racecourse, Saturday 16th October

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