Sports betting has ceased to be just entertainment — it is full-fledged analytics, where success depends on the speed of data acquisition and its accuracy. Here, sports APIs come to the rescue.
Sports APIs They allow for instant access to match results, odds, team lineups, player statistics, and game history. For betting arbitrage (valuebets and surebets), this is critically important — one needs to quickly calculate potential winnings and place bets while the odds are still relevant.
API-sport is one of the most popular services for integrating sports data. It provides a full range of information: live events, archived data, player and team statistics.
Who it is useful for:
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Developers creating applications and bots for betting.
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Betting platforms that want to quickly update odds.
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Sports media and analysts for predicting matches.
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Arbitrage and valuebet enthusiasts looking for accurate real-time data.
¿Qué es API-sport?
API (Application Programming Interface) is a software interface that allows for the retrieval and sending of data between services. In the case of sports betting, the API service provides access to match results, odds, lineups, and statistics of teams and players.
API-sport — specialized platform for obtaining sports information. Having appeared on the market a few years ago, the service quickly gained popularity due to its wide coverage and speed of data updates.
Available data:
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Live results and matches in real time.
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Archived data on past games.
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Player and team statistics.
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Odds and changes in odds.
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Transfers and team lineups.
The feature of API-sport lies in its versatility and speed. The service covers a wide range of sports, including popular esports, allowing tracking of both traditional disciplines and virtual tournaments. Additionally, API-sport provides the ability to receive data in real time via WebSocket, which is especially important for betting arbitrage, where every second can affect the outcome. The high accuracy of the odds ensures the reliability of calculations and allows for informed decisions when searching for valuebets and surebets.
How to use the API for arbitrage (valuebets, surebets)?
For effective arbitrage (valuebets and surebets), the following data is required:
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Match results and outcomes — to check past statistics and the probability of outcomes.
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Odds and changes in odds — to find discrepancies between bookmakers.
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Team compositions and players — for analyzing the impact of injuries and substitutions.
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Player and team statistics — indicators that help model the probability of outcomes.
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Transfer history — important for long-term forecasts and value bets.
Deportes soportados
API-deporte covers almost all popular disciplines:
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Fútbol
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Baloncesto
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Hockey
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Tennis
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Voleibol
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Esports (CS:GO, Dota 2, LoL)
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American football, baseball, and others
Tecnologías y formatos
The service provides data through modern technologies:
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REST API — standard request/response over HTTP.
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WebSocket — live updates in real-time, which is critical for arbitrage.
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Data formats: JSON and XML, which allows easy integration into various applications and systems.
¿Cómo acceder a la API?
To start using API-sport, the first step is to register on the official platform. After that, each user receives a unique API key, which serves as an identifier and allows for secure requests to the service. Next, a suitable tariff is chosen: from free trial access, which allows you to explore the functionality and test the integration, to professional subscriptions with a full set of data and a high request limit. This approach provides flexibility and allows you to choose the optimal option for both novice developers and large betting platforms and analytical projects.
RapidAPI, SportRadar y otras plataformas proporcionan acceso a BetsAPI y Livescore API a través de sus canales. Esto es conveniente para los desarrolladores que necesitan integraciones listas y SLA confiables.
In addition to official access, API-deporte you can connect through third-party aggregators. One of the most popular is RapidAPI, which allows you to quickly test APIs and integrate multiple services into one project. Another option is SportRadar, which provides an extended coverage of sports disciplines and historical data but is more expensive. Using third-party providers can be convenient for experiments or multi-service integration; however, official registration through API-sport offers broader functionality and stability.
Los planes gratuitos generalmente incluyen acceso limitado a datos históricos y estadísticas básicas. Las suscripciones de pago desbloquean:
Plan gratuito allows you to explore the service, make initial requests, and obtain basic data about matches, odds, and statistics. However, it has limitations on the number of requests and update speed.
Paid subscriptions provide full access to live data, extended player and team statistics, as well as a greater number of requests per minute. For arbitrage betting and valuebet analysis, this is especially important, as the speed and accuracy of data directly affect the effectiveness of calculations.
Número de solicitudes por minuto/hora
Even with a paid subscription, there are certain regulations:
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Request limit — the number of API calls per minute or hour.
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Update speed — in the free version, data comes with a delay, while in PRO subscriptions, updates are almost instantaneous.
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Historical data — free access limits the number of matches in the archive, while paid tariffs provide a complete historical dataset necessary for deep analysis and forecasting.
Thus, the choice of tariff and connection method directly affects the capabilities of working with the API, especially when it comes to betting arbitrage and finding value bets and sure bets, where time and data accuracy are critical.
Integración de API
Ejemplos de conexión (Python, JavaScript)
Python:
importar solicitudes
url = «https://api-sport.pro/v1/matches»
headers = {«X-API-KEY»: «your_key»}
respuesta = solicitudes.get(url, encabezados=encabezados)
imprimir(respuesta.json())
JavaScript (Node.js):
const fetch = require(‘node-fetch’);
const url = «https://api-sport.pro/v1/matches»;
fetch(url, { headers: { «X-API-KEY»: «your_key» } })
.then(res => res.json())
.then(data => console.log(data));
Integración en CMS y aplicaciones móviles
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WordPress: through plugins and REST API.
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Android/iOS: through standard HTTP requests or WebSocket.
Uso de datos en vivo a través de WebSocket
WebSocket allows for instant updates without repeated requests (polling). This is critical for arbitrage, where fractions of a second can affect income.
¿Dónde se utiliza?
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Betting and odds scanners — find discrepancies between bookmakers.
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Sports analytics and forecasts — model the probabilities of outcomes.
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Media and fan applications — quick updates on matches and statistics.
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Fantasy Sports and esports – analysis of players and teams for virtual tournaments.
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BI systems and Big Data – integration for deep analysis and forecasting.
Ventajas y desventajas
Ventajas:
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Wide coverage of sports.
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Alta velocidad y precisión de actualizaciones.
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Real live data via WebSocket.
Contras:
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Cost of paid plans.
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Limitations of free access.
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Complexity of integration for beginners.
Alternativas a API-sport.
Among the alternatives API-deporte it is worth highlighting several popular services. SportRadar offers a wide coverage of sports disciplines and an official license, making it a reliable source for large projects, however, the subscription cost is quite high. RapidAPI acts as an aggregator of many APIs, which is convenient for testing and quickly connecting various services, but there are limitations on the speed of data updates. The Odds API is primarily focused on odds and arbitrage, providing less information about teams and players, which is suitable for specific tasks. Choosing a competitor makes sense if an official source with an extensive match history or access to specific betting markets is required, where API-sport may be limited.
En resumen
Using APIs for arbitrage (valuebets, surebets) allows for obtaining accurate live data, quickly finding discrepancies in odds, and making decisions based on current statistics. API-sport is one of the most convenient services for this, with a wide range of sports, live updates, and flexible integration formats.
Registration: https://app.api-sport.ru/register
Our TG channel with updates: https://t.me/apisportru.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Hay acceso gratuito a API-sport?
Yes, there is a limited trial rate for developers and analysts.
¿Qué deportes son compatibles?
Football, hockey, basketball, tennis, esports, and dozens of others.
Is the API suitable for betting and arbitrage?
Yes, especially for finding value bets and sure bets thanks to live odds.
¿Cómo conectar la API a la aplicación?
Through REST requests or WebSocket, using JSON/XML.
¿Se puede usar la API para predicciones?
Yes, data on results and player statistics allow building forecasting models.
Can it be integrated with WordPress or a mobile application?
Yes, via REST API, plugins, or standard HTTP requests for Android/iOS.
