The Odds API¶

Summary¶

The Odds API is a sports betting odds aggregation API that provides real-time and historical odds from over 80 bookmakers across major sports. It is one of the most widely used data sources for sports betting model development because it offers a simple REST interface, broad bookmaker coverage, and a free tier suitable for prototyping and small-scale backtesting.

The API covers NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, soccer (multiple leagues), tennis, MMA, and more. Each request fetches odds for a specific sport key and region (US, UK, EU, AU). Odds are returned as American or decimal formats with timestamps. The API does not provide results, statistics, or lineups — only betting odds.

The service uses a credit-based pricing model. A single request (one sport key, one region) costs 1 credit. Historical odds requests cost additional credits. Rate limits apply per tier, and the free tier allows 500 credits per month.

Key Concepts¶

• Sport key: Unique identifier per sport (e.g., americanfootball_nfl, soccer_epl)
• Region: Geographic filter (us, uk, eu, au) — controls which bookmakers appear
• Bookmaker: Individual sportsbook with its own odds; the API aggregates across all
• Market type: h2h (head-to-head/moneyline), spreads, totals, futures, player_props
• Odds formats: American (-110, +240) or decimal (1.91, 3.40) — configurable per request
• Last update: Timestamp for when odds were last refreshed by the bookmaker

Data Available¶

Pricing Tiers¶

• Free tier: 500 credits/month, 500 requests/hour. No credit card required. Suitable for prototyping and small projects.
• Starter: $99/month — higher request limits and historical odds access
• Pro: Higher volumes, faster refresh rates, more bookmakers
• Credits reset monthly; unused credits do not roll over
• Each request = 1 credit per sport key per region; historical data requests cost more

Rate Limits¶

• Free: 500 requests/hour
• Paid plans: 1,000–5,000+ requests/hour depending on tier
• HTTP 429 response when rate limited; retry after spacing requests by several seconds
• Usage credits reset on the 1st of every month

Python Integration¶

import requests

API_KEY = "your-api-key"
SPORT = "soccer_epl"  # English Premier League
REGION = "uk"         # UK bookmakers
MARKET = "h2h"        # Moneyline

url = f"https://api.the-odds-api.com/v4/sports/{SPORT}/odds"
params = {
    "apiKey": API_KEY,
    "regions": REGION,
    "markets": MARKET,
    "oddsFormat": "decimal",
}

response = requests.get(url, params=params)
data = response.json()

for event in data:
    print(f"{event['home_team']} vs {event['away_team']}")
    for bookmaker in event["bookmakers"]:
        for market in bookmaker["markets"]:
            for outcome in market["outcomes"]:
                print(f"  {bookmaker['title']}: {outcome['name']} @ {outcome['price']}")

Notes¶

• The Odds API is an aggregator, not a bookmaker — it does not accept bets
• Bookmaker coverage is strongest for US-facing sports (NFL, NBA, MLB); soccer coverage is good for major leagues but thinner for lower divisions
• For model backtesting, the key value is accessing historical odds (paid feature) to compute closing line value (CLV) and validate model predictions
• No match statistics or xG data — pair with API-Football or Football-Data.co.uk for match-level data
• Sharp bookmakers (Pinnacle, BetCRIS) are included in the aggregation, useful for market efficiency analysis