n [ pl ] (also the football pools )
a British gambling competition in which people try to predict the results of football matches. Every week people taking part fill in pools coupons (= special documents for marking the results of the matches that will take place on Saturday). Those who predict the results most accurately receive the most prize money. It was the most popular form of gambling in Britain before the National Lottery was introduced in the 1990s:
I’d buy a big house like that if I won the pools.