I’VE bemoaned the fact that pool betting in Britain has been in limbo since the loss of the Tote monopoly some years ago, and interest in the flagship products like the Jackpot and Scoop6 has fallen sharply among my circle of betting acquaintances.

Indeed, data from the Gambling Commission shows off-course Tote turnover falling by almost a quarter between 2009 and 2018.

Popularity

There are a number of reasons for the decline in popularity of what we would call Tote betting, but one that stands out to me is the ability of the brand to engage with the public.

Not much more than 10 years ago, I’d be looking to find what races were being covered by Channel 4 on Saturday with a view to getting to work on form study for the upcoming Scoop6, and at around this time of year I’d also be making a list of horses to follow for the jumps season in anticipation of the upcoming Tote Ten To Follow.

Not only was this quite exciting for me, but it was great news for the Tote, who knew they had a captive audience in me and thousands like me.

Unfortunately, unnecessary tinkering with the Ten To Follow did nothing to endear it to longterm players, and some dreadful decision making by Fred Done and his boys made the Jackpot and Scoop6 less and less appetising to punters, with the result that a swathe of dedicated pool players simply walked away.

Hopefully, there are developments afoot which will see some of us stop and consider turning back to our old plaything.

Stakeholders

UK Tote Group Limited (formerly registered as Alizeti Capital) are 25% stakeholders in the Tote as it stands, and have had an option to buy out Fred Done – whose BetFred firm have been running the Tote since winning exclusive rights to take over the operation from 2011 until 2018 – which they are expected to do by the end of October.

Done has fallen out of love with British racing, and was quoted as saying “I can live without the sport” when it was clear that the majority of British courses would snub his on-course offering at the end of his exclusive contract.

Stagnation

Under the BetFred banner, the Tote’s offering has stagnated, but the possibility of new investors breathing fresh life into the product has been on the horizon since Alex Frost and his friends in Alizeti popped up with their plans to acquire the business.

It now looks, at last, as if those plans are going to come to fruition, and while it’s perhaps premature to celebrate too wildly, the news that the Ten To Follow is to be revived suggests someone has their finger on the pulse, and augurs well for more punter-friendly developments.

Watch this space.