UK Tote and HKJC renew partnership to enhance World Pool

The UK Tote Group and Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) have agreed to expand their strategic partnership until 2028, focusing on the development of new wagering products to benefit all horse racing stakeholders.

The partnership, which has grown since the UK Tote Group purchased the Tote in October 2019, has allowed for the successful development of World Pool.

Entering its fifth year, World Pool merges 28 pool betting operators worldwide into a single pool managed by the HKJC, providing significant liquidity and a multi-million-pound betting experience for racing fans.

The agreement makes the UK Tote the exclusive pool partner for World Pool in the UK and Ireland, fostering further developments such as new bet types and customer experience improvements.

The World Pool has been generating significant financial returns for British and Irish racing, which have been invested into prize money for feature meetings.

The UK Tote described the development as a “very significant moment” for the organisation and for British and Irish horse racing, as it continues to develop and extend its partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club.”

It added: “This new agreement enables us to accelerate our plans to grow World Pool, which is proving an increasingly important revenue stream for the sport,  showcasing Hong Kong’s world-class racing to a global audience.”

Last year, the World Pool had a record global turnover of £650m, with £521m bet on British and Irish race days – a 44% increase on the previous year.

UK and Ireland Tote customers will continue to be able to bet into multi-million-pound pools on top racing from Hong Kong’s two racecourses, Happy Valley and Sha Tin

Both the UK Tote Group and the HKJC expressed their enthusiasm about the extended partnership, highlighting the success and growth of World Pool and the opportunity to further develop the pool betting experience for global racing fans.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club said: “The UK Tote is our principal commingling partner, and we are very pleased to be extending our relationship for the next five years with this new agreement.

“We look forward to continuing to work with John Williamson, Alex Frost and the whole Tote team to build on the strong platform we have created to develop the pool betting experience for racing fans around the world.”