totalizator

gambling device

Also known as: Tote

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Last updated

July 14, 2026

Quick Summary

A totalizator is a device used in pari-mutuel betting, a method of wagering introduced in France around 1870. In this system, all bets on a race are pooled, and winners are paid from this pool after the operator's commission and taxes are deducted.12

The totalizator, developed in the 1920s, is a mechanical or electronic device that issues and records betting tickets. Modern totalizators, often computer-based, calculate betting pools and odds, displaying this information to the public. These devices have facilitated various combination bets, such as the daily double, exacta, quinella, and pick six. Pari-mutuel betting is most common in horse racing but is also used in dog racing and jai alai.2

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pari-mutuel
…with the development of the totalizator, a mechanical device for issuing and recording betting tickets. Modern totalizators, usually computers, calculate betting pools and current odds on each horse and flash these figures to the public at regular intervals. They may also display race results, payoff amounts, running times, and other…
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…with the development of the totalizator, a mechanical device for issuing and recording betting tickets. Modern totalizators, usually computers, calculate betting pools and current odds on each horse and flash these figures to the public at regular intervals. They may also display race results, payoff amounts, running times, and other…
Read More