The American Totalisator Company, known today as AmTote International (often referred to as AmTote), specializes in
totalisator equipment used to control
parimutuel betting at
horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
,
greyhound racing
Greyhound racing is an organized, competitive sport in which greyhounds are raced around a track. There are two forms of greyhound racing, track racing (normally around an oval track) and coursing; the latter is now banned in most countries. Tra ...
, and
jai-alai facilities.
The company was founded by
Harry L. Straus
Henry Lobe Straus (March 10, 1896 – October 25, 1949) was an American electrical engineer, horse and cattle breeder, sportsman, entrepreneur and computer pioneer.
Biography
Straus was a 1913 graduate of the Baltimore City College high school a ...
, a computer engineer from Baltimore whose interest in a fairer system of calculating and displaying odds and payouts on parimutuel betting came after an incident in 1927 at a
Maryland racetrack, when a horse listed at 12:1 odds won, but paid off at 4:1. Straus began developing his machine, the totalisator or “tote board” out of telephone relays in 1928.
Straus' new company installed its first equipment at
Pimlico Race Course in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
, which displayed odds and payouts on illuminated boards, now known as "
tote boards". In 1933, American Totalisator installed its first complete electro-mechanical tote system at
Arlington Park in
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a municipality in Cook County with a small portion in Lake County in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of the city's downtown. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 77,676. Per the ...
.
The Strauss patents 2,179,698 issued 11/14/39 and 2,182,875, issued 12/12/39 were a platform to build AmTote's growth as the once dominant provider of totalizator solutions in North America.
AmTote has installed more than 800 tote systems throughout the world. The original electro-mechanical devices have given way to fully computerized systems where bettors place and collect wagers at the same window, self-service betting terminals,
Internet- and
telephone-based wagering, and "hub" systems to facilitate
simulcast wagering.
The "classic style" AmTote display consists of 24 bulbs, 6 high by 4 wide.
AmTote's numeric displays were often seen on television
game shows in the 1950s and 1960s, most notably the original version of ''
The Price is Right.'' The company was also an investor in the
manufacturer of the original
UNIVAC computer system.
The company is based in
Hunt Valley, Maryland. It was once owned by
General Instrument and later sold to a division of
Motorola. Today, AmTote International is a wholly-owned
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of
The Stronach Group, the corporate parent of several race tracks, including Pimlico.
See also
*
Tote board
References
{{reflist
External links
AmTote International web site
Sports betting
Companies based in Hunt Valley, Maryland
Stronach Group