Hollywoodbets Horse Racing | How to Bet on the Tote and Win Like a Champion

Tote betting is when you bet into a pool. All the money is then combined and paid out according to the number of winning bets. After the race, punters who have winning bets will receive a share of "the pot" determined by how much money they staked and how many winners they were.

One major reason tote betting is very popular in South Africa is that it's sometimes possible to get a very big payout for a small stake. If you happen to bet on a race where lots of people play but only a few punters pick the winner, then you can win big for a small amount!

Continue reading to discover how tote betting works in South Africa, including the types of tote bets available and how to place your horse racing tote bets on Hollywoodbets.

How does tote betting work in South Africa?

The tote is a system of betting where punters place a bet into a cumulative pool that includes other bettors. The payout for a winning ticket is shared equally among all the players who make the same prediction.

Tote bets work like a traditional lottery, where the money received from all the bets is placed together and a share ("dividend") is distributed between all the winners.

In fixed-odds betting, winning bets get paid out at the odds you take at the time, but tote betting payouts are only finalised once all the bets are in and the race is over. Your payout (or dividend) on a tote bet is determined by the size of your bet and how many other people made the same correct prediction. 

Horse racing tote betting on Hollywoodbets 

At Hollywoodbets you'll find South Africa's biggest selection of horse racing odds and markets covering meetings in South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, USA, France and Sweden. Even for first-time racing punters, placing a tote bet on Hollywoodbets is quite a straightforward process.

If you want to play the Tote rather than take a straight bet, this option is easily available for most meetings and races on Hollywoodbets.

Here's how to place a horse racing tote bet on Hollywoodbets:

1️⃣ Visit Hollywoodbets and login to your online account.

2️⃣ Scroll down the main menu and select "Horse Racing".

3️⃣ Select "Bet with Tote".

4️⃣ Choose the country of the race you want to bet on.

5️⃣ Select the racecourse.

6️⃣ Select your race number and time.

7️⃣ Choose the type of tote bet you want and pick your horses.

8️⃣ After making your selections, click "Add to Betslip" and continue.

9️⃣ Click to expand the betslip at the bottom of your screen.

🔟 Enter your stake and click the green "Submit" button to confirm your bet.

If at any time you move to straight betting and want to see the tote betting options, flick the orange switch that says "Tote" near the top right of your screen.

Types of Tote Bets available on Hollywoodbets 

Win: Predict the winner of the race.

Place: Predict a horse to finish 1st, 2nd or 2rd. 

Each-Way: Combination of a Tote Win bet and a Tote Place bet.

Exacta: Predict the order of the horses to finish in 1st and 2nd position.

Trifecta: Predict 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order.

Placepot: Predict the winner of six separate races on the card.

Watch Live Horse Racing on Gallop TV

Gallop TV is a free live racing streaming service brought to you by Hollywoodbets, where you'll also find betting odds, tips, race results, Tote dividends, podcasts, race replays and much more! Learn more.

Read more about how to bet on Hollywoodbets horse racing or go even deeper in our ultimate guide to betting on horse racing in South Africa. 

For more about online sports betting, casino games and lotteries in South Africa, visit the Betting Guide homepage to find bookmaker reviews, promotions, betting tips and more.