XB Net extends agreement with UK Tote Group
The agreement will allow Tote to continue to offer coverage of the majority of major US races in the UK and Ireland.
UK.- The UK Tote Group has extended its agreement with XB Net to allow it to continue offering major US races to customers in the UK and Ireland, with live pictures, data and betting services from XB Net’s network of 60 North American racecourses. The agreement will begin with the Breeders’ Cup World Championships in Keeneland this week.
UK Tote Group chief commercial officer Jon Knapman said: “As a leading player in pool betting, we want to provide our customers with the biggest global pools and for them to be able to bet on the best racing in the world.
“With pool betting being dominant in US racing, we are delighted to work with XB Net as the leading distributor of North American content, integrating improved feeds alongside associated data and content, such as silks and ratings, with which to elevate the experience for our customers.
“Our customers have already seen the added enjoyment and value that US racing brings to the wider horse racing fan experience. Now it’s an honour to be bringing the Breeders’ Cup World Championships to our UK and Irish audience in what promises to be a thrilling renewal.”
Future fixtures include the Pegasus World Cup and both legs of the Triple Crown: the Preakness and Belmont Stakes. UK Tote Group said the agreement would allow it to plug “any gap in the betting calendar with engaging, easy-access content”.
XB also has arrangements with Flutter Entertainment, bet365, Codere, Entain and William Hill. It aims to diversify its operations across fixed-odds, spread betting and commingled wagering in Europe, Asia, North and Central America and Australia.
Senior vice president International Simon Fraser said: “Securing this continued collaboration with a brand as synonymous with racing as UK Tote Group is another feather in the cap of our diligent team.
“We’ve been impressed by the UK Tote Group’s recent moves to reignite the UK Tote for a contemporary racing audience, and XB Net’s wide range of low-latency racing solutions and racetracks are providing them with a deeper well from which to draw premium content.”
He added: “Live, premium daily sport is ostensibly an easy sell wherever you are in the world. Tellingly, though, if that sport’s betting markets are consistent and its framework familiar to the end user (allied to synchronicity with local leisure periods) then we’ve found that engagement gains quicker and more durable traction with audiences.
“The GMT time zone is, of course, well-positioned to migrate from its domestic racing scene into top-class ‘evening’ meetings stateside, so high-quality 24/7 programming is now an attainable reality for our customers.
“We can’t wait to see how our comprehensive package continues to perform for the Tote over a range of coming attractions this winter, with this week’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, for which we hold the international distribution rights, an imminent highlight.”
In July, UK Tote Group appointed two new non-executive directors to its board. The new appointments are Lord Michael Spencer of Alresford and Mark Holt.
The UK Tote Group said the appointments would contribute “valuable experience and significant expertise from the business world”. The company wants to improve product innovation and customer experience to achieve more growth.
