The first totalisator was an entirely mechanical system invented by the Australian George Julius of Julius Poole & Gibson Pty Ltd. It was installed at Ellerslie Racecourse in New Zealand in 1913. The first totalisator installed in the United States was at Arlington Park racecourse, Chicago, Illinois, in 1933. Julius, who was later knighted, founded Automatic Totalisators Ltd. in 1917 and added electrical components. The first entirely electronic totalisator was developed in 1966. By 1970 nearly every major racing centre used an ATL totalisator.
Totalisators have been superseded by general purpose computers running specialised wagering software such as Autotote.
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Categories: Sports betting | Gambling