The UK Tote Group’s Chief Operating Officer, Dave Hammond, has left his role at the company after eight months in the position and three years at the business.
Hammond joined the business back in April 2023 as Chief Commercial Officer, before stepping up to COO in August last year. Prior to joining the UK Tote Group, he held key roles at Inspired Gaming Group, Paddy Power Betfair, SBTech and DraftKings.
He also founded UK-based Betconsultancy.com in 2018 and simultaneously led sports betting blockchain business Spartos.
On Hammond’s departure, Alex Frost, UK Tote Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “We’d like to thank Dave for his significant contribution to the Tote’s growth during his time as part of our team.
“He’s taking a much overdue career break and will always remain a close friend to the business. We wish him all the very best for the future.”
UK Tote’s resilience despite headwinds
UK Tote Group, which has been a UK staple in pool betting for horse racing for many years, will be on the hunt for a new C-suite hire at a time when the horse racing industry is facing increasing pressures.
Just last month, the firm’s Chief Revenue Officer, Paddy Desmond, addressed an audience in Manchester to discuss what the sport needs to do to regain and grow its viewership and engagement, whilst staving off the black market.
“I think a lot of it has to come down to the governance of racing,” he said at Deal Me Out’s Illegal Gambling Prevention Conference.
“There’s too much power in British racing with the race courses, and because you have four separate race course bodies, they’re not always going to be aligned and they’re not always going to relinquish power.
“So (it’s tough) getting behind an overarching promotion of the sport, and then getting the trainers and jockeys to play a role as well.
“Then there’s media rights. I sat in the commercial committee for two years listening to the infighting and it’s just not a good setup.”
Despite worries in a key market for the operator, the UK Tote Group has still managed to seal several key commercial deals both within the horse racing sector and further afield.
UK Tote Group is the Official Principal Partner of both of Wigan Warriors’ men’s and women’s teams, and it also secured a deal for BetMakers to provide it with its quantum technology just over 12 months ago – a deal which Hammond worked closely on.
The business has been in operation for nearly 100 years and Frost has always shown optimism for his company and horse racing in general, but a key name departure adds another potential pain point at what is a critical time for the industry.