Tote, the UK bookmaker, is to exit Totalbet.com, the internet betting website it set up with the Sporting Life online newspaper, to create its own internet betting site.

Totalbet, launched in April 1999, had operated as a partnership between the two, with Tote Credit acting as bookmaker and the Sporting Life providing the technology.

Under the new plans, Tote will set up its own site - tote.co.uk - while Totalbet will be run solely by Sporting Life, operating under UKBetting's bookmaker's licence.

The change is due to come into effect on 27 May.

"It means more choice for customers, with two strong brands now operating independently and should help expose an even wider audience to the benefits of betting into Tote pools on the internet," the companies said in a joint statement.