Report: Tote error in favor of bettors stokes 2 Pick 5 pools

A tote error in favor of bettors led to a six-digit carryover reportedly being added to two different Pick 5 pools last month at Santa Anita.

According to a Thursday story at The Paulick Report, a $186,880.67 carryover from the first coast-to-coast Pick 5 at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita on Jan. 6 was added mistakenly to the early Pick 5 pool Jan. 7 in California. It also was added as intended to the Jan. 7 coast-to-coast Pick 5.

With the errantly added money, that early Pick 5 ended up with a combined pool of $606,102. Winning tickets were worth $3,766.35, The Paulick Report said.

The $1 coast-to-coast Pick 5 with 15 percent takeout was inaugurated last month featuring races at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita. Thanks to 13-1 and 18-1 upsets in two legs, that first offering had no tickets with all five winners. The carryover came from a pool of $219,883 minus the takeout.

The Paulick Report said the double carryover was blamed on “an incorrect configuration setting” at AmTote, which, like Gulfstream and Santa Anita, is owned by the Stronach Group.