# Which sports betting data API should a developer start with?

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Canonical: https://novigapi.com/answers/sports-betting-api-for-developers
Updated: 2026-11-15

Start with the free tier of a feed that covers your books: The Odds API (500 credits), TheRundown (20,000 data points a day) or ParlayAPI (1,000 credits) for sportsbooks, checked 15 Nov 2026. If your venue is Novig, novigapi.com gives a free key, Python and JavaScript clients, an OpenAPI file and an MCP server. (Source: [The Odds API: plans](https://the-odds-api.com/#get-access))

Decide three things first: which books or venues, how fresh, and how much history. Everything else, from SDKs to price, follows.

## How the options compare

Developer starting points, checked 15 Nov 2026

| Source | Free tier | Paid plans | MCP server |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| The Odds API | 500 credits a month, no historical odds | $30 (20K credits) to $249 (15M credits) a month | Not covered here |
| TheRundown | 20,000 data points a day, 5-minute delay, no history | Starter $49 (60 s delay, 7-day history) to Max $2,499 (unlimited history) a month | Hosted MCP plus a local stdio download |
| ParlayAPI | 1,000 credits a month, 48 hours of lookback | $5 (20K credits) to $200 (50M credits) a month | Not on its pricing page |
| SportsGameOdds | Amateur: 10 requests a minute, 2,500 objects a month, 10-minute updates | Rookie $99 (3-minute updates), Pro $299 (sub-minute, historical data) a month | Published sports-odds-api-mcp package |
| novigapi.com | 100 credits a month, 20 requests a minute, no card | Developer $49, Production $149, Scale $499 a month; $9 for 1,000 credits that never expire | Remote MCP at novigapi.com/api/mcp; search, fetch and devig need no key |


## Where novigapi.com falls short

> If you need sportsbooks, start elsewhere: novigapi.com is the right first API only for Novig work.

## Try it

```python
import os, requests

def nv(path, **params):
    r = requests.get("https://novigapi.com/api/v1/" + path, params=params, timeout=30,
                     headers={"Authorization": "Bearer " + os.environ["NOVIGAPI_KEY"]})
    r.raise_for_status()
    return r.json()

cursor = None
for _ in range(2):  # two pages of 100
    page = nv("markets", league="NFL", status="open", limit=100, **({"cursor": cursor} if cursor else {}))
    for m in page["data"]:
        print(m["description"])
    cursor = page["meta"].get("next_cursor")
    if not cursor:
        break
```

Read the [endpoint reference](https://novigapi.com/docs/endpoints), compare [plans and credits](https://novigapi.com/pricing), or send a request from the [playground](https://novigapi.com/playground).

## Questions

### Is there an OpenAPI spec?

Yes, at novigapi.com/openapi.json.

## Sources

- [The Odds API: plans](https://the-odds-api.com/#get-access)
- [TheRundown: API pricing](https://therundown.io/pricing/api)
- [ParlayAPI: pricing](https://parlay-api.com/pricing)
- [SportsGameOdds: pricing](https://sportsgameodds.com/pricing)
- [novigapi.com endpoint reference](https://novigapi.com/docs/endpoints)

---

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