Blog
Page 6 of 8. The data layer behind matched betting, arbitrage and odds comparison, written by the team that maintains it.
Fundamentals
A sports data API delivers scores, fixtures and player stats. An odds API delivers bookmakers' prices for outcomes. They're different products, they're often used together, and only one is what matched betting runs on.
· 5 min read
Buying vs building
Reliability for an odds feed is two things, not one: uptime and freshness. Here is how to read an SLA honestly, and why a figure you can check on a live dashboard beats a number you are asked to trust.
· 5 min read
Matched betting & oddsmatcher
An oddsmatcher finds the best back/lay pairs across books and exchanges. Here is the data behind it: each back price matched to an exchange lay price, with a rating that shows how close the two are.
· 6 min read
Fundamentals
Over/under markets price whether goals, points or corners finish above or below a line. For data, the line is part of the selection: here is why that changes how you compare, match and arb totals across books.
· 5 min read
Fundamentals
How to poll an odds feed without wasting bandwidth or hitting rate limits: poll on the refresh cadence, send If-None-Match for a cheap 304 when nothing has changed, and accept gzip.
· 5 min read
Matched betting & oddsmatcher
Two fields decide whether a matched bet is worth placing: the rating and the qualifying loss. Here is what each one means, conceptually and honestly, and how a matched feed computes them for you.
· 5 min read
Buying vs building
An odds-data supplier licenses feed access to licensed builders; it stays out of the wager itself. Here's what a responsible supplier does, and why it matters for how the product is built and sold.
· 5 min read
Emerging markets
Good South African odds coverage is not the global books alone. It is the domestic books bettors actually use, across PSL soccer, rugby and cricket. Here is what that looks like as a data problem.
· 6 min read
Arbitrage & value betting
Sure bets disappear fast for three reasons: prices move, accounts get limited, and stale feeds show arbs that already closed. Here's the honest picture, and what good data does about it.
· 5 min read