1) definitely true, but it's interesting that it doesn't seem to affect the betting so much. There seems to be rapid consensus on what the 'correct' odds are fo

1) definitely true, but it's interesting that it doesn't seem to affect the betting so much. There seems to be rapid consensus on what the 'correct' odds are for any given match, with only minor odds fluctuations. Compare this with horse racing, where the odds before the start can swing wildly, even though the same horses may have run many times before. There are different unknowns in the two sports, of course, but it is strange how bettors seem to quantify the football unknowns similarly. 2) All down to your country's silly gambling laws, unfortunately. Europe, and the UK in particular, have got the right idea here. It's overwhelmingly the shady offshore bookies that disappear without paying out. 3) Probably the same reason as 2) really... American football doesn't seem to attract significant betting volumes outside the US. American horseracing is more popular, strangely. 4) There's very few companies with APIs here. Basically only the exchange-based bookies offer APIs. All other bookies want nothing to do with sophisticated players, and if your customers are at the level of automating bets, you probably don't want to be the one taking them on :) (Edit): I forgot about Pinnacle - they are (I think) the only traditional bookie who offers an API. Mind you, they also are happy to take on profitable customers.