Setting up the Tote on the Night
WE NEVER TOUCH CASH! So you will need a few helpers as ticket sellers - 2 to 8 depending on the number of guests. You need tables to sell the tickets and you may need a separate payout table for the winning numbered horse.

When the Tote desk closes we work out the "Odds" for each horse and let you know the payout per winning ticket. A percentage (usually 50%) is taken out of the income and the remainder is divided equally among the tickets sold on the winning horse.

You will need to ensure you have an adequate cash float on the night. For 100 people you should get something like £200 but as we always round the payouts to the nearest 50p the only coins you will need are 50p and £1 but do get some £5 and £10 notes.

Auction Race
Bids are raised to become the "Trainer" for each horse in the final race. The trainer of the winning horse receives 50% of the total money raised from the auction. Or a special prize donated by a sponsor, remember it should be a large prize to encourage good bidding. Your charity funds are swollen with the rest. This can be a considerable bonus.

Losers Draw
Provide a box next to the tote and your punters write their name on the back of the losing tickets and drop them in the box. At the end of the night hold a loser's draw and award a bottle of wine to the winner. Result - no tickets on the floor or tables and the whole audience stays to the end!

The Law
Don't forget you need to run some other event as well as the race night, a quiz, buffet, cheese & wine, awards presentation, comedian, disco. You can't just have the race night by law.