What is an API?

If you have been looking for a way to conserve time and energy while you are wagering on british betting sites, you may have started looking into sports betting bots.  These are automated programs which provide you with alerts and/or place bets on your behalf on an ongoing basis.  Generally speaking, most sports betting bots are sold by experienced punters who have programmed them with their own betting systems.  But what if you want to create a bot which utilises your own betting strategies?  That is where an API comes in.

What is an API?  API stands for “Application Programming Interface.”  Essentially, with an API, you can create a customised app for betting.  What you do with that app is entirely up to you.  A lot of punters use APIs to monitor betting lines.  But you can also use one to create a customised interface that streamlines your betting activities.  Additionally, you can program in your own betting strategies if you want and set up fully automated betting.

An API gives you the following benefits:

• Speed.  With an API, up-to-the-second information is at your fingertips.  You can watch how the betting lines are moving from website to website.  If you have an API integrated with a specific betting site, you also should be able to place a wager much more quickly through the API than you would be able to through the website itself.  This does far more than just saving you time—it also can ensure that you get the very best values and snag the most profitable opportunities before they blaze by.

• Accurate math.  You can set up your API to run calculations for you in conjunction with your betting strategies.  This can save you a ridiculous amount of time and also provide you with far more accurate results. 

• A streamlined and intuitive GUI.  Do you find the betting interface on the website you typically go through simple and user-friendly?  Or do you find it convoluted and unintuitive?  Do you get confused switching between one website interface and another?  If you want to really simplify things and make your life a lot easier, you can set up your own user-interface with an API.  So long as it is compatible with all your betting sites, you can manage and execute all of your wagers from that one location.  Just think how many costly mistakes are spawned by your confusion while navigating the website interfaces.  All of those could be avoided going forward with an API. 

• Automation.  With an API, you can automate part or all of the betting process.  Maybe you want to make the final call on all of your wagers, but you do not want to deal with the complexities of comparing odds and searching for the best ones, calculating your stake, and so on.  You can set up the API to run all those calculations for you, and then you can simply execute your wagers using that instant data.  Or if you prefer, you can program in your entire betting system and allow the API to make the betting decisions on your behalf and even send the execution orders straight through to your betting sites. 

So how can you get started with an API?  You have three basic options here:

• You can program one yourself, building it from scratch.  This is obviously the most challenging proposition, and it is something you should only consider if you happen to be a skilled programmer.  If you are, this is the best way to create an entirely customised solution.
• You can hire a programmer to build one for you.  While this takes the complex work of coding out of your hands, it is arguably just as challenging in other ways.  You need to pick the right person for the job and then work closely with them to actualise your vision. 
• You can purchase a turn-key API.  There is a wide range when it comes to quality here.  Some APIs which you purchase off-the-shelf are great; others do not provide nearly what you need in terms of flexibility, responsiveness, and functionality.  Invest the time to do the research before you purchase one.  This is arguably the best path for the vast majority of punters.  If you are not a programmer and you do not have the money to spend on a custom design from a professional, a turn-key API can provide you with customisable utility right out of the box.

How can you find the right turn-key API?  I suggest that rather than simply typing “betting API” into Google and hoping for the best, that you instead turn to betting communities on Reddit and other sites.  Check out what other users are recommending, and pay close attention to the context of those recommendations.  If needed, you can also start your own threads explaining your situation and asking for suggestions.  Explain how much you know about programming and what features are most important to you.

Whatever route you choose, an API can take your betting to the next level.  Just make sure that if you choose to automate your betting process you stay involved closely by tracking your results.  That way you can tweak your strategies if you need to!