Tote board

A tote board is a large numeric or alphanumeric display used to convey information, typically at a race track (to display the odds or payoffs for each horse) or at a telethon (to display the total amount donated to the charitable organization sponsoring the event).

The term "tote board" comes from the colloquialism for totalizator (or totalisator), the name for the automated system which runs parimutuel betting, calculating payoff odds, displaying them, and producing tickets based on incoming bets.

The first totalisator was an entirely mechanical system invented by George Julius, subsequently a founding partner in Julius, Poole & Gibson Pty Ltd. The machine was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse in New Zealand in 1913, and the second was installed at Gloucester Park Racetrack in Western Australia in 1916. Julius founded Automatic Totalisators Limited (ATL) in 1917, which supplied the 'Premier Totalisator; now including electrical components.[1]

The first totalisators installed in the United States were at Hialeah Park, Florida, in 1932 (by ATL), and at Arlington Park racecourse, Chicago, in 1933.

The first entirely electronic totalisator was developed in 1966. Totalisators have been superseded by general purpose computers running specialised wagering software such as Autotote. In many cases beyond older systems, telethon tote boards have either been replaced by LCD displays showing totals, or scoreboards adapted to display dollar amounts.