Totesport to transition affiliate program to Betfred

Former CAP Listed Program Totesport, the affiliate program behind UK betting brand The Tote, is shifting its affiliate program to Betfred affiliates, a Totesport representative announced last week.
Dean Leyland, current affiliate manager for Totesport Affiliates, made the announcement last week at GPWA.org as he announced his departure from the Tote team.
“I have enjoyed my time here immensely and have appreciated the hard work by those on here who promote us during my 18+ months on the team,” Leyland wrote.
“Once I have left, the affiliate programme will be left in the very capable hands of the Betfred affiliate team.”
Betfred are the new owners of The Tote, having scored the winning bid for the formerly government-owned betting brand earlier this year.
Now, the Betfred management team is “currently looking to put together a strategy to make the most of the totesport/pool brand,” Leyland writes.
“The future of the programme is currently being reviewed by Betfred and they will be in touch in due course when there is any news or information as to its direction.
“Please be aware that no decision has yet been taken with regards to the programme or indeed totesport.com, it is for this reason that I am unable to be any more specific.”
Last days for Totesport as we know it
Betfred hasn’t made any major announcement regarding its plans for the Tote, but is expected to relatively soon.
Meanwhile, the racing industry is preparing for a possible world without The Tote. And Totesport Affiliates appears to be shoring up its business: The brand left the roster of CAP Listed Programs in mid-July, and some CAP members had reported difficulty signing up to the affiliate program in the weeks before that.
Originally created by the British government in 1928, the Tote remains a powerful betting brand online and off. That’s particularly true in the UK, where it’s associated with many closely watched racing events.
One of those races, the Totesport Mile, was just run “for the last time before the brand switches to Betfred,” per RacingPost.com.
It hasn’t yet been announced what effect Betfred’s ownership and any potential branding changes will have on the brand’s biggest race, the Totesport Trophy, held each year in February.