ANNUAL REPORT 2011 - Horse Racing Ireland

TOTE REVIEWTote made significant advances in 2011. Overall revenuesincreased by 13.9% from €40.3 million to €45.9 million.This was particularly satisfying in a flat economicenvironment. However, on–course betting remained weakdue to economic conditions.Tote launched a new 6 Leg Jackpot type bet in January 2011.This bet is called the “Pick 6” and entails the selection of thewinning horses in races 1 to 6 at a race meeting. Initially, thebet was run every Sunday and for the major festivals, butit is now available at every fixture in Ireland. Despite a slowstart, it is gradually gaining acceptance among the bettingpublic and is expected in the not too distant future to addsignificantly to Tote turnover. The Tote also launched a DailyDouble bet. This bet entails the selection of the winners ofthe 5th and 6th races at a race meeting.Betting from third parties and other international Totes into ToteIreland pools continues to show very positive growth. This isparticularly true of betting from the UK and France. Downpatrickcommenced betting into the Placepot Pool. Also in 2011, At TheRaces added some additional overseas partners to its portfolioduring the year.2011 saw some very sizeable Tote Pools being achieved.The highest betting race on the Tote in 2011 was the PrettyPolly Stakes at the Curragh on the 25th June, which wasa very healthy €339,219. This figure represents bettingon the Win, Place, Exacta and Trifecta pools combined. AtGalway, on 30th July, the Pick 6 achieved a pool of €78,071.The Jackpot at Sligo on the 3rd August achieved a pool of€226,140, which was shared among 10 lucky winners.There were some enhancements to the Tote system duringthe year, which puts the Tote at the forefront of technologydevelopments in the betting market. Early in the year,Tote provided its account clients with the facility to watchevery race in Ireland and the UK online, free of charge, afterhaving a bet through the Tote internet site. Later in theyear, Tote launched the Tote App. This was a very welcomedevelopment and allowed Tote clients to bet into Tote Poolsusing the Mobile App.Tote had a strong set of financial results for the year, due toenhanced revenue streams and a continuing cost reductionprogramme. The Tote continued its policy of returning allprofits to racing, through race sponsorship and paymentsto racecourses, based on a percentage of their respectiveon–course turnover. 2012 will see a continuation of thestrategy to grow the top line, hold costs at an acceptablelevel and provide excellent customer service.12 Horse Racing Ireland Annual Report 2011