The interface a program is allowed to call
An operator exposes an interface - an application programming interface, an API - so that its own apps and its partners can read markets, prices and balances, and in some cases place an order. What the interface does and does not permit is where automated betting lives: a key issued for reading a price can be used to place a bet only if the operator allows it, and the sampled 140 orders came from exactly that boundary being crossed.
- interface key orders
- 140
- read endpoints
- markets, prices, balance
- place endpoint
- present in the sample
- rate limit
- 60 requests / minute
- keys revoked
- 48
- key share of orders
- 15.6%
An operator interface lets a program read markets, prices and a balance, and in the sampled case also place an order, using a key that identifies the caller. Of the 900 sampled software orders, 140 came through such a key, and 48 keys were revoked once the platform saw them placing bets rather than reading prices.
| endpoint | what it returns | its purpose |
|---|---|---|
| read markets | the selections on offer | a price board, a comparison site |
| read prices | the price and its time | showing a live price |
| read balance | a balance, with consent | an account summary |
| place order | an accepted or refused bet | a permitted client, if any |
| a key issued for the first three can be turned to the fourth only if it is allowed | the boundary | |
Why a key is not anonymity
A key identifies the caller to the platform, and it is issued against an account. So an interface does not hide who is placing the order - it tells the platform exactly which account placed it, and it does so with a timestamp and a request log. The 48 revoked keys are the clearest form of detection on this desk: the platform knew the moment the key placed a bet rather than read a price.