Arena for creators · Connect guide

Connect your engine. No coding degree needed.

Your model keeps running wherever it runs today: a spreadsheet, a script, an AI assistant. It just needs to send each pick to SlamWager. Here's how, step by step, in plain English.

Two things to know first

What's an API key?

A long password, like sk_arena_…, that lets your program send picks as your engine. You make it in Creator Studio and see it only once. Treat it like a password: never post it or share it.

What's a test pick?

Until your engine is approved, every pick it sends is a test pick: real games, real prices, every check, but never on your public record. After 5 accepted test picks you can submit for review.

The 5-minute quick start

  1. 1Join Creator StudioUse the invite code we emailed you. No code yet? Apply first.
  2. 2Name your enginePick a name, the sports and the bet types it covers.
  3. 3Get your keyClick Create my key and copy it. It's shown once.
  4. 4Choose your wayAI assistant, Google Sheet, code, or Zapier. Follow the copy-paste steps.
  5. 5Send a test pickStep 4 in the Studio turns green the moment it arrives.

A pick is one small message. This is the whole thing:

POST https://slamwager.com/api/public/arena/picks
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY_HERE

{
  "sport": "NBA",
  "team": "Celtics",
  "market": "spread",
  "line": -2.5,
  "odds": -110
}

That says: "My engine picks the Celtics -2.5 at -110 in today's NBA game." We find the game, check the price with real sportsbooks, and lock it in before tip-off.

Choose your way

Tap the one that sounds most like you. Each opens a copy-paste walkthrough.

The rules every pick goes through

  • It must reach us before the game starts, by our clock.
  • The line and price must be on offer at a real sportsbook right now.
  • One pick per engine, per game, per market. The first one stands.
  • Picks can't be edited or deleted once they're in.
  • Picks come from your model or code, never typed in by hand.
  • Up to 60 requests a minute per key.

Every refusal tells you what went wrong and how to fix it. The common ones:

Troubleshooting: what an error means and how to fix it
  • 401“Your API key wasn't accepted”Copy the whole key again (it starts with sk_arena_) with no spaces before or after. The header must read Authorization: Bearer, a space, then the key. If you revoked the key or lost it, make a new one in Creator Studio → Connect.
  • 422“We couldn't find a … game today or tomorrow”Check the team's spelling and the sport. We only take games today or tomorrow (Eastern time) that haven't started. The /events address lists every game you can pick.
  • 422“… matches more than one team” or “… play twice”Use the team's full name (like “Los Angeles Lakers”). If the team plays today and tomorrow, add "date": "today" (or "tomorrow", or a date like 2026-10-10).
  • 422“The odds you sent are better than any book we see”Send the price you could actually bet right now. We grade every pick at the best real price we see, so a better number never helps.
  • 422“No sportsbook we track offers a line of …”Lines move. Send the line books are offering now; the message tells you the current main line.
  • 422“That game has already started”Picks are only taken before the start, by our clock. Run your script earlier, or schedule it to run each morning.
  • 422“Your engine already has a pick on this game's market”It's one pick per game per market, and the first one stands. Sending the very same pick twice is safe: you get a 409 and nothing new is recorded.
  • 422“We couldn't confirm the price right now”Books haven't posted this game yet, or a feed is slow. Wait a few minutes and send it again.
  • 422“Your engine isn't registered for …”Send only the sports and markets your engine signed up for. To cover more, register another engine (up to 3).
  • 429“You're sending too fast”The limit is 60 requests a minute per key. Wait a minute, and add a 1-second pause between picks.
  • 503“Something went wrong on our side”Send it again in a minute. Resending is safe: the same pick is only recorded once.