Arbitrage Opportunities

Find guaranteed-profit arbitrage opportunities across sportsbooks.


GET /api/v1/opportunities/arbitrage

AuthenticationPermalink for this section

Requires API key. Hobby tier or higher required. Your account must have the arbitrage feature enabled.

Query ParametersPermalink for this section

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
`sport`	string	all	Filter by sport(s), comma-separated (e.g. `basketball`, `football`)
`league`	string	all	Filter by league(s), comma-separated (e.g. `nba`, `nfl`, `nhl`)
`sportsbook`	string	tier-allowed	Filter by sportsbook(s), comma-separated. Tier limits enforced.
`market`	string	all	Filter by market type(s), comma-separated. Supports category aliases — see Odds: Market Category Aliases.
`min_profit`	number	0.5	Minimum profit percentage (e.g. `1.0` = 1%)
`live`	boolean	—	`true` = live only, `false` = prematch only, omit = both
`state`	string	`pa`	US state code appended as `?state=` to each leg’s `deep_link` resolver URL (e.g. `pa`, `nj`, `co`, `mi`)
`limit`	integer	50	Results per page (max 200)
`offset`	integer	0	Pagination offset (max 5000)

Profit cap: Opportunities with profit above 10% are automatically filtered out. These are almost always phantom arbs caused by stale or suspended odds rather than real opportunities.

Breaking change: The game_state field (score/period/clock) was removed from this response. Live game state is now served exclusively by the Game State endpoint and the gamestate stream channel. Join rows to game state by event_id.

Filtering Multiple ValuesPermalink for this section

Use comma-separated values for multi-select filters:


?sport=basketball,football&league=nba,nfl

Example RequestsPermalink for this section

cURL


curl -X GET "https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/arbitrage?league=nba&min_profit=1" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

JavaScript


const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/arbitrage?league=nba&min_profit=1',
  { headers: { 'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY' } }
);
const { data } = await response.json();
 
for (const arb of data) {
  console.log(`${arb.event_name}: ${arb.profit_percent}% profit`);
  for (const leg of arb.legs) {
    console.log(`  ${leg.sportsbook}: ${leg.selection} @ ${leg.odds_american} (${leg.stake_percent}%)`);
  }
}

Python


import requests
 
response = requests.get(
    'https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/opportunities/arbitrage',
    params={'league': 'nba', 'min_profit': 1},
    headers={'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY'}
)
data = response.json()
 
for arb in data['data']:
    print(f"{arb['event_name']}: {arb['profit_percent']}% profit")
    for leg in arb['legs']:
        print(f"  {leg['sportsbook']}: {leg['selection']} @ {leg['odds_american']} ({leg['stake_percent']}%)")

ResponsePermalink for this section

Success (200)Permalink for this section

Real response for GET /api/v1/opportunities/arbitrage?limit=1 (live soccer, captured 2026-07-02). Note deep_link is null on legs with no resolver link (e.g. exchanges) and carries the ?state= suffix (default pa) otherwise:


{
  "data": [
    {
      "detected_at": "2026-07-02T18:24:11.629938125Z",
      "estimated_net_profit_percent": 9.51,
      "ev_available": false,
      "ev_percentage": null,
      "event_id": "iceland_-_urvalsdeild_krreykjavik_thorakureyri_2026-07-02_b2",
      "event_name": "KR Reykjavik @ Thor Akureyri",
      "id": "d66158994938bfb8",
      "implied_total": 91.15,
      "is_alternate_line": false,
      "is_live": true,
      "is_player_prop": false,
      "league": "iceland_-_urvalsdeild",
      "league_label": "Iceland - Urvalsdeild",
      "legs": [
        {
          "deep_link": null,
          "external_event_id": "20260704F0815C7E",
          "line": 0.75,
          "market_id": "asian_handicap",
          "odds_american": 143,
          "odds_decimal": 2.43,
          "odds_id": "105606613889332",
          "odds_probability": 0.4115,
          "selection": "KR Reykjavik",
          "selection_id": "19851-27567-2026-07-02:betfair_exchange:asian_handicap:kr_reykjavik_+0_75",
          "sportsbook": "betfair",
          "stake_percent": 45.15
        },
        {
          "deep_link": "https://api.sharpapi.io/api/v1/deeplink/146200835628306?state=pa",
          "external_event_id": "34333512",
          "line": -0.75,
          "market_id": "2_85317286",
          "odds_american": 100,
          "odds_decimal": 2,
          "odds_id": "146200835628306",
          "odds_probability": 0.5,
          "selection": "Thor Akureyri",
          "selection_id": "0HC85317286P75_1",
          "sportsbook": "draftkings",
          "stake_percent": 54.85
        }
      ],
      "line": 0.75,
      "market_label": "Asian Handicap",
      "market_type": "asian_handicap",
      "oldest_odds_age_seconds": 29.013184226,
      "player_name": null,
      "possibly_stale": false,
      "profit_percent": 9.71,
      "sport": "soccer",
      "start_time": "2026-07-02T17:00:00Z",
      "stat_category": null,
      "warnings": [
        "LIVE_HIGH_PROFIT_SUSPICIOUS",
        "LIVE_GAME"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "count": 1,
    "has_more": true,
    "limit": 1,
    "next_offset": 1,
    "offset": 0,
    "total": 71
  },
  "updated_at": "2026-07-02T18:24:11.672298584Z"
}

Response HeadersPermalink for this section


X-RateLimit-Limit: 300
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 297
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1707401000
X-Data-Delay: 0
X-Request-Id: 1782526326424224-82519

Error ResponsesPermalink for this section

401 Unauthorized

No key supplied returns missing_api_key; a bad key returns invalid_api_key.


{
  "error": {
    "code": "missing_api_key",
    "message": "API key required. Pass via X-API-Key header, api_key query parameter, or Bearer token.",
    "docs": "https://sharpapi.io/docs/authentication"
  }
}

403 Tier Restricted


{
  "error": {
    "code": "tier_restricted",
    "message": "This endpoint requires Hobby tier or higher",
    "docs": "https://sharpapi.io/pricing",
    "tier": "free",
    "required_tier": "hobby"
  }
}

429 Rate Limited

retry_after is a Unix-millisecond timestamp of the next window (not a duration); the Retry-After header carries the equivalent seconds value.


{
  "error": {
    "code": "rate_limited",
    "message": "Rate limit exceeded for hobby tier (120/min)",
    "retry_after": 1737853260000,
    "tier": "hobby",
    "limit": 120,
    "docs": "https://sharpapi.io/pricing"
  }
}

Response FieldsPermalink for this section

Field	Type	Description
`id`	string	Unique arbitrage identifier (hash)
`event_id`	string	Event identifier
`event_name`	string	Human-readable event name
`sport`	string	Sport identifier (lowercase)
`league`	string	League identifier
`market_type`	string	Market type (`moneyline`, `point_spread`, `total_points`, etc.)
`line`	number\|null	Spread/total line (e.g., `-3.5`)
`profit_percent`	number	Guaranteed profit as a percentage (e.g., `1.83` = 1.83%)
`estimated_net_profit_percent`	number	Profit % after estimated bet-placement friction (rounding/limits)
`league_label`	string	Human-readable league name
`market_label`	string	Human-readable market name
`implied_total`	number	Sum of implied probabilities across all legs (below 100 = arb exists)
`is_live`	boolean	Whether the event is currently live
`start_time`	string\|null	ISO 8601 event start time
`is_alternate_line`	boolean	Whether this uses a non-standard line
`possibly_stale`	boolean	Whether odds may have moved since detection
`oldest_odds_age_seconds`	number\|null	Age of the stalest leg’s odds in seconds
`warnings`	string[]	Warning flags. Possible values: `LIVE_GAME` (any leg live), `LIVE_HIGH_PROFIT_SUSPICIOUS` (live and profit > 3%), `HIGH_PROFIT_SUSPICIOUS` (prematch and profit > 5%), `LIVE_STALE_ODDS` (live, stale leg), `POTENTIALLY_STALE_ODDS` / `VERY_STALE_ODDS` (prematch staleness tiers). `LOW_IMPLIED_TOTAL` (2-leg arb with implied total below 96% — verify the prices before betting) is Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint.
`ev_available`	boolean	Whether an EV opportunity exists on this market
`ev_percentage`	number\|null	EV percentage if available
`is_player_prop`	boolean	Whether this is a player prop market
`player_name`	string\|null	Player name (if player prop)
`stat_category`	string\|null	Stat type (if player prop, e.g., `points`, `rebounds`)
`legs`	array	Array of bet legs that form the arbitrage
`detected_at`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp when the arb was first detected

Leg ObjectPermalink for this section

Field	Type	Description
`sportsbook`	string	Sportsbook for this leg
`selection`	string	The selection (team name, Over/Under, etc.)
`odds_american`	number	American odds for this leg
`odds_decimal`	number	Decimal odds for this leg
`odds_probability`	number	Implied probability of this leg’s odds (0.0 to 1.0)
`line`	number\|null	Spread/total line for this leg
`stake_percent`	number	Percentage of total stake to place on this leg
`odds_id`	string	Underlying odds row ID (joins back to `/odds`)
`deep_link`	string\|null	Resolver URL to this leg’s bet slip (pass `state=` for state subdomains). The key is always present — explicit `null` when no resolver link exists for the leg.
`external_event_id`	string\|null	Sportsbook’s native event ID
`selection_id`	string\|null	Sportsbook’s selection/outcome ID
`market_id`	string\|null	Sportsbook’s market ID
`home`	object\|undefined	Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint. Nested home-team reference: `{id, numerical_id, name, abbreviation, logo, city, mascot, conference, division}`. See Entity reference IDs.
`away`	object\|undefined	Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint. Nested away-team reference (same shape as `home`).
`sport_ref`	object\|undefined	Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint. Nested sport reference: `{id, numerical_id, name}`.
`league_ref`	object\|undefined	Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint. Nested league reference: `{id, numerical_id, label}`.
`market_ref`	object\|undefined	Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint. Nested market reference: `{id, numerical_id, label}`.
`sportsbook_ref`	object\|undefined	Reserved — not currently emitted on this endpoint. Nested sportsbook reference for this leg’s book: `{id, numerical_id, label}`.

Nested reference blocks on each leg (reserved)Permalink for this section

The leg schema reserves six nested reference objects (home, away, sport_ref, league_ref, market_ref, sportsbook_ref) mirroring the blocks on /odds. As of 2026-07-02 the arbitrage engine does not stamp them, so live legs never include these blocks — today they appear only on /odds rows for atlas-mapped books. Treat every block (and every inner field) as optional and never require them; when emitted they will be purely additive — the flat top-level fields (sport, league, market_type) and per-leg sportsbook / selection strings are unchanged. See Entity reference IDs for the shape and guarantees.

How Arbitrage WorksPermalink for this section

Arbitrage exploits price differences between sportsbooks to guarantee a profit regardless of the outcome. When the combined implied probabilities across all legs of a market total less than 100%, an arbitrage opportunity exists.

The Core PrinciplePermalink for this section


Book A: Team X +150 (implied 40.0%)
Book B: Team Y -130 (implied 56.5%)
Total implied: 96.5% < 100% = ARBITRAGE

When the total is below 100%, you can bet proportionally on every outcome and guarantee a profit.

Profit CalculationPermalink for this section


Profit % = (100 / implied_total) - 100

Using the example above:


Profit % = (100 / 96.5) - 100 = 3.63%

This means for every $1,000 wagered, you are guaranteed approximately $36.30 in profit.

Calculating Optimal StakesPermalink for this section

To guarantee equal returns regardless of outcome, allocate stakes proportionally:


// Decimal odds: Team X = 2.50, Team Y = 1.77
const impliedX = 1 / 2.50;  // 0.400
const impliedY = 1 / 1.77;  // 0.565
const total = impliedX + impliedY;  // 0.965
 
const stakeX = impliedX / total;  // 41.5% of bankroll
const stakeY = impliedY / total;  // 58.5% of bankroll

Full Stake ExamplePermalink for this section

Total bankroll for this arb: $1,000

Leg	Stake	Odds	Payout if Wins
Team X @ DraftKings	$415	+150	$1,037.50
Team Y @ Pinnacle	$585	-130	$1,035.00

Guaranteed profit: ~$35-38 (3.5-3.8%) regardless of outcome.

Three-Way ArbitragePermalink for this section

Sports like soccer and hockey have three-way markets (home/draw/away), which can also produce arbitrage:


Home Win:  +200 (33.3%)
Draw:      +250 (28.6%)
Away Win:  +180 (35.7%)
Total implied: 97.6% -> 2.4% arbitrage profit

The same stake calculation applies — divide each leg’s implied probability by the total to determine the stake allocation.

Why Arbs ExistPermalink for this section

Timing differences - Sportsbooks update odds at different speeds
Differing opinions - Books have different risk models and exposure
Promotions - Boosted odds from one book create artificial gaps
Errors - Occasionally, a book posts incorrect odds

Best PracticesPermalink for this section

Account Risk: Sportsbooks actively monitor for arbitrage activity. Accounts that exclusively place arb bets may be limited or restricted. Consider mixing arbitrage bets with recreational activity.

Act fast - Arb windows are often short-lived (seconds to minutes)
Round your stakes - A bet of $47.32 looks suspicious; round to $50
Use pre-calculated stakes - The stake_percent field gives you optimal allocation
Verify odds before placing - Always confirm the odds at the sportsbook have not moved
Start with larger arbs - Focus on min_profit=1 or higher to account for line movement
Track the implied_total - Lower totals mean larger guaranteed profits
Diversify sportsbooks - Spreading activity across many books reduces individual account risk

Arb vs +EV BettingPermalink for this section

Aspect	Arbitrage	+EV Betting
Risk	Zero (guaranteed profit)	Variance exists
Profit per bet	1-3% typical	2-10% edge
Account risk	High (limits likely)	Lower
Capital required	High (bet both sides)	Lower
Sustainability	Limited by account health	Long-term viable

Many experienced bettors prefer +EV betting over arbitrage because accounts last longer and the expected edges are often larger. See the +EV Opportunities endpoint for details.

+EV Opportunities - Positive expected value bets
Middles - Line discrepancy opportunities
Arbitrage Concepts - Detailed arbitrage theory
Arbitrage Scanner Example - Build a real-time scanner