Fred takes subtle approach with totepool rebrand
The rebrand to totepool.com is the latest in a subtle series of changes being made to the former totesport website since Betfred’s aquisition of the Tote last summer.
In June 2011 Betfred won the auction to buy the 83 year-old state-owned Tote which included 517 high street betting shops and the monopoly to run pool betting online and at 60 racecourses in the UK.
At the outset, Tote’s head office functions were integrated with Betfred’s base in Warrington and while Tote shops on the high street were rebranded, the original name remained in use on the racecourses.
Rebranding of Tote’s online betting website has been a gradual process. The site had already undergone a facelift when changing from its 2002 launch name of totebetXpress2 to its new identity, totesport, when Tote launched an online casino in 2005. Immediately following the acquisition by Betfred, the changes to totesport began with the integration of Betfred’s odds, markets and special offers into the sportsbook. The changes retained the look, feel and original features of the website while bringing totesport customers the benefits of Betfred’s prices and world famous bonuses.
In March 2012 totesport was rebranded as totepool, the same range of free bets are still available at the fully featured online gambling website which offers online pool betting, horse racing fixed odds, sportsbook with live betting in play, casino, games, bingo and mobile.
Again, the changes have not been sweeping and some sections of the website still retain original totesport references. While navigating the website customers can still see the familiar totesport brand name in the sportsbook, casino, bingo and games but there is an increasing amount of totepool.com branding being introduced around the website. Landing pages are now totepool branded, so too online pool betting and mobile with totesport having been replaced by totepool on creative media promoting the online gambling portal on affiliate websites, blogs and social networks.
Betfred received a lot of flak from sections of the racing industry who opposed the bid and wanted the Tote to remain independent. However, various governments had been trying to privatise the business for about 14 years and never came close until Betfred bid over £250 million to seal the deal.
Owner Fred Done is committed to developing the Tote’s relationship with horse racing, the name remains at 60 UK racecourses and totepool.com emphasises the website’s roots with the former state-owned business.