Betting Guide

Unlike racecourse bookmakers who offer you odds – or prices – for betting on each horse in a race, the Tote offers you a pool bet. This means the money it receives from bets on a given race is pooled together and, like a lottery, shares this out among customers with winning tickets.

The Tote has a minimum bet of just £2 and accepts cash and card across all courses making it one of the most convenient ways to place a bet on-course.

There are six bet types available at every course, every day with the Tote; win, place, exacta, trifecta, quadpot and placepot. So there are lots of options if you fancy your horse to place, but not to win.  Don’t worry, the friendly Tote team are always on hand to help with your selections or to answer any questions.

Plus as the Tote is owned in partnership by the majority of British racecourses, it is constantly reinvesting back into racing. By choosing to bet with the Tote, you can do so knowing that racing is benefiting too.

Bookmakers can be found in the main enclosure. Each bookmaker will advertise the minimum stake they will accept and the odds on each horse.

To place your bet state the amount of your stake, type of bet, name and number of the horse.

Racecourse betting shops are similar to high street betting shops in that you can enjoy a variety of different bets at Carlisle or across the country. To place a bet you will need to complete a betting slip with the relevant details.

Top Tip: Never throw away what you might consider a losing bet until the 'weighed in' signal has been given as results can sometimes be amended.

Popular bets are:

Win - You bet on the horse to win the race
Place -You bet on the horse to be placed - first or second in races of five, six or seven runners; first, second or third in races of eight runners or more; first, second, third or fourth in handicaps of sixteen runners or more. An each-way bet on the Tote, as with a bookmaker, is two bets - win and place.

If you’re feeling adventurous the tote also offers the following bets:

Trifecta - You pick three horses to finish first, second and third, in correct order in races of eight runners or more

Jackpot - You pick the winners of the first six races at the designated Jackpot meeting (not Saturdays)
Placepot - You pick horses to be placed in each of the first six races (or to win any race with fewer than five runners)
Swinger – You pick two horses to finish 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any order
Exacta - In races of three or more runners, pick two horses to finish first and second (in correct order)
Super7 – pick five, six or seven winners from the selected races
Quadpot – pick a placed horse in races three, four, five and six