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    Guide

    How betting bots work

    “Betting bot” can mean three different things. Here is what each one does, how placement automation works step by step, what goes wrong and what to check before you start.

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    By the B337 team. Last updated 1 October 2026.

    The short answer

    • A betting bot is software that does part of the betting job for you: finding bets, sizing stakes or placing them.
    • There are three kinds: exchange API bots, bookmaker-account automation, and tip or signal bots. Only the first two place bets.
    • Placement software logs in to accounts you own, reads prices, checks them against your rules, places the bet, waits for the bookmaker to accept it and records the result.
    • It does not remove risk. Prices move, bets fail, bookmakers can restrict accounts, and a +EV bet can still lose.
    • Whether you can use one depends on the law where you are and on each bookmaker's terms. Many bookmakers restrict or prohibit automated betting.

    On this page

    1. What is a betting bot?
    2. How placement automation works
    3. Do betting bots work?
    4. What can go wrong
    5. What to check before you use one
    6. Is automated betting legal in Australia?
    7. Where B337 fits
    8. Common questions
    Three kinds

    What is a betting bot?

    “Bot betting” means betting where software does some of the work: finding bets, sizing stakes or placing them. The same word covers three different products, and most confusion about whether bots work, or whether you are allowed to use one, comes from mixing them up.

    Exchange API bots

    Places bets on an exchange

    Programs that bet on an exchange such as Betfair, where punters back and lay against each other rather than a bookmaker. The exchange publishes an API (a programming interface) that software uses to read prices and place bets, under the exchange's own terms.

    What it can do

    • Back and lay automatically on rules such as price, time before the start or which runner is favourite
    • Trade in and out of a market as its prices move

    What it can't do

    • Bet at bookmakers or use bookmaker promotions
    • Get a bet matched unless another punter takes the other side

    Bookmaker-account automation

    Places bets at bookmakers

    Software that logs in to bookmaker accounts you own, with logins you supply, and places bets through them on rules you set. B337 is this kind: see automated betting.

    What it can do

    • Apply the same stake, price and filter rules across several bookmakers at once
    • Use promotions already in your account, within each bookmaker's rules
    • Record every placement, price and settlement

    What it can't do

    • Create or unlock a promotion your bookmaker hasn't given you
    • Keep betting once a bookmaker limits or closes the account
    • Change what a bookmaker's terms allow, and many restrict or prohibit automated betting

    Tip and signal bots

    Suggests bets only

    Services that send selections or alerts to an app, a Telegram or Discord channel or your inbox, often with an AI label. They suggest; you decide whether to place the bet, unless you connect them to separate placement software.

    What it can do

    • Alert you to a selection or a price change quickly
    • Show a record of past tips, where they keep a complete one

    What it can't do

    • Place a bet on their own
    • Hold a price for you: it may have moved by the time you read the tip
    • Prove accuracy with a label: “AI” says nothing on its own, so ask for the full record, losing tips included
    Step by step

    How placement automation works

    Software that bets through your own bookmaker accounts runs the same loop for every bet.

    1. 01

      It logs in to accounts you own

      The software signs in to your own bookmaker and exchange accounts with the logins you supply. In B337 each logged-in account is a session, and a session can run several strategies.

    2. 02

      It reads the prices

      It reads each bookmaker's current prices and, for value strategies, a reference price. B337 compares bookmaker prices with the Betfair exchange.

    3. 03

      It applies your rules

      Each possible bet is checked against your settings: stake size, odds limits, price floors, market and race filters, and the hours it may run. Anything outside them is skipped.

    4. 04

      It places the bet

      The bet goes to the bookmaker from your own account. If the price has fallen below your floor by then, it should not go on.

    5. 05

      The bookmaker accepts it, or not

      A bet only counts once the bookmaker accepts it. The accepted price can differ from the one the software saw, and a bookmaker can reject a bet or take only part of the stake.

    6. 06

      It settles and records the result

      When the result is in, the bet is settled and recorded. B337 settles from the bookmaker's own settled-bet list and official racing results.

    Do betting bots work?

    They can do the mechanical job well: apply the same rules to every bet, check prices on a schedule rather than when you remember, and keep a complete record. What a bot cannot do is turn a bad bet into a good one: if its rules pick bets at poor prices, it places poor bets faster.

    Whether automated betting comes out ahead over time depends on the prices it bets at, which is what expected value (EV) measures. A bet is +EV when the price on offer is higher than the true chance of winning justifies.

    A worked example

    Hypothetical prices to show the maths. Not a real race, a result or a forecast.

    Fair price
    $3.00
    about a 1 in 3 chance, from the exchange
    Bookmaker's price
    $3.50
    higher than the chance justifies
    Expected value
    +$1.67
    per $10 bet, on average, before fees
    Chance it loses
    2 in 3
    even though the bet is +EV

    That last figure is what variance looks like. Long losing runs are normal even with +EV bets, so a month of results says little about whether a strategy is sound, and an EV figure is only as good as the reference price behind it. More in positive EV betting.

    Betting involves risk. Bookmakers can restrict or close accounts and void bets, automation can fail, prices move, and a positive expected value (+EV) bet can still lose. Promotions carry each bookmaker's own terms. There is no guarantee of profit. See responsible gambling for limits and support.

    What can go wrong

    Automation changes how bets are placed, not the risks of betting. Plan for these.

    Account restrictions

    Bookmakers can cut your maximum stake, stop offering you promotions or close your account, and they can and do restrict accounts that use automation.

    Failed bets

    A market suspends, a session logs out, the bookmaker changes something or the computer running it sleeps, and the bet never goes on. Check what was actually placed.

    Price moves

    Prices can move between the moment software reads them and the moment the bet lands. A price floor stops a bet below your minimum; it does not stop the move.

    Voided bets

    Bookmakers can void or resettle bets under their terms, including after a pricing error or where they believe their terms were breached.

    Settings mistakes

    A bot applies your settings to every bet, wrong ones included. A stake typo repeats until you notice, so start small and check the first bets yourself.

    Betting more than you meant to

    Automation can place far more bets, far faster, than you would by hand. Set deposit limits with your bookmakers, and on racing sessions a loss limit in the software.

    Before you start

    What to check before you use one

    Six questions to put to any betting software before you give it your logins, with B337's answers so you can compare.

    1. Where does it run?

      It decides what has to stay on. Software on your computer only bets while that computer is on and connected; software on the vendor's servers depends on those servers.

      With B337

      It runs on your own computer, on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit), macOS 11 or later on Apple Silicon, or Linux (Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13 and later), which must stay on and connected while sessions run.

    2. How are your logins handled?

      Placement software logs in as you, so it holds your bookmaker usernames and passwords. Ask who can see them and how they are protected.

      With B337

      B337 holds the logins you enter only so the bot can act for you, and never shows them to other users. Data is encrypted in transit, and two-factor authentication is available for your B337 account. See security and the privacy policy.

    3. What controls do you get?

      A bot does exactly what it is set to do, so the settings are your safety net.

      With B337

      Stake sizing (fixed, by odds band or by balance) with minimum and maximum stakes, odds limits and price floors, market and race filters, daily run windows, a start and stop switch per session, and on racing sessions optional profit and loss stops.

    4. What does it cost, all in?

      Some tools charge a flat subscription; others add per-bet charges or take a share of winnings. Work out the cost of a losing month, not only a winning one.

      With B337

      Terminal View, the read-only Terminal, is $25 a month, and Terminal Pro, which adds placing bets by hand, is $300 a month. Automated betting is priced through Discord. Bets placed through B337 also use credits, a per-bet usage charge, so ask for the full cost before you pay. See pricing.

    5. What records do you get?

      You should be able to check every bet against your bookmaker account: the time, the price you got, the stake and the result.

      With B337

      Every placement, price and settlement is recorded in your dashboard, with CSV export. Bets settle from the bookmaker's own settled-bet list and official racing results.

    6. What do your bookmakers' terms say?

      Many bookmakers restrict or prohibit automated betting, third-party access and multiple accounts, and breaching their terms can get bets voided and accounts limited or closed.

      With B337

      B337's Terms say the same: using the software may breach a bookmaker's terms, and that risk is yours.

    Treat these as warning signs in any betting software: a promise of profit or of a fixed return, a claim that bookmakers cannot see or restrict it, a results record with no losing bets, or any suggestion to use accounts that are not in your own name.

    Is automated betting legal in Australia?

    There is no one-line answer, and this guide is not legal advice. Two questions get mixed up: what the law says, and what your bookmakers' terms allow.

    What the law says

    Gambling in Australia is regulated by the Commonwealth and by each state and territory, so the rules depend on where you are. This guide cannot tell you that automated betting is lawful for you, and B337 does not give legal advice: its Terms make you responsible for knowing whether betting, and betting automation in particular, is lawful where you are.

    What your bookmakers' terms say

    Each bookmaker account also comes with terms you accepted when you opened it. Many restrict or prohibit automated betting, third-party access to your account and holding more than one account. Breaching them can mean voided bets and a limited or closed account.

    Before you start

    • Read the terms of every bookmaker you plan to connect, searching for words such as “automated”, “software”, “bot” and “third party”.
    • Use only accounts in your own name, and never use automation to get around a limit, an account closure or a self-exclusion.
    • Set a deposit limit with each bookmaker: automation can bet far more, far faster, than you would by hand.
    • Get independent legal advice if you are unsure about the law where you live.

    B337 is software, not a bookmaker or wagering service provider. It does not take bets, set prices or hold your money: bets go into accounts you hold with Australian bookmakers, on the rules you set. B337 is not affiliated with or endorsed by any bookmaker.

    Where B337 fits

    B337 is bookmaker-account automation, set out in full on automated betting. It runs on your own computer, logs in to bookmaker and exchange accounts you own, and places bets by itself on the strategy you attach. Sessions are available for 100+ Australian bookmakers, though what works differs between them: see bookmakers.

    It does not claim to use AI or to predict winners. Its racing strategy compares each bookmaker's win price with the Betfair exchange price close to the jump, and bets where the price shows positive expected value, within your rules. More on the horse racing betting bot page.

    Tips are a separate, opt-in step: with copy betting, a tracked tipster's tips go into one of your own accounts at your stakes, never the tipster's.

    Run sessions in your own accounts

    Placing bets is part of B337's paid plans. A free account shows a limited view of the Terminal.

    • Sessions that place bets in bookmaker accounts you own, on the rules you set
    • Stake sizing, odds limits, price floors, filters and run windows, with profit and loss stops on racing sessions
    • Every placement, price and settlement recorded, with CSV export
    • The full Terminal: bookmaker prices beside Betfair back and lay prices, with price history
    See pricing

    Betting involves risk. Bookmakers can restrict or close accounts and void bets, automation can fail, prices move, and a positive expected value (+EV) bet can still lose. Promotions carry each bookmaker's own terms. There is no guarantee of profit. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. See responsible gambling for limits and support.

    Common questions

    How do I automate sports betting?

    Start with the rule, not the software: which markets, what prices, what stake and when to stop. Then read each bookmaker's terms, connect only your own accounts, and start small while you check each bet. With B337, sports bets can come from a tipster feed you copy, from your own program through the betting API, or from a strategy that builds Same Game Multis for saver offers already in your account.

    Will a bookmaker know I'm using a bot?

    Assume it can. Bookmakers can and do restrict accounts that use automation, many of their terms restrict or prohibit it, and no software can promise otherwise. If a bookmaker limits or closes your account, that is its decision under its terms, and the risk is yours.

    Do I need to leave my computer on?

    With B337, yes. Sessions run on your own computer, so they only place bets while it is switched on, awake and connected. If it sleeps or loses its connection, they stop placing bets.

    Can a bot use my bonus bets and promotions?

    Only the ones your bookmaker has already given you. B337 uses those within each bookmaker's rules and does not create or unlock promotions, so if there is none in your account, no promo bet is placed. Bonus bet automation explains how it handles them.

    Keep reading

    • Automated betting softwareHow B337 sessions place bets in your own bookmaker accounts.
    • Positive EV bettingWhat expected value means and how a price is measured against it.
    • SecurityHow B337 handles the bookmaker logins you give it.
    • BookmakersThe Australian bookmakers B337 sessions are available for.

    Start with a free account

    A free account opens a limited view of the Terminal with live odds. Paid plans unlock the full Terminal, the screeners and sessions that place bets in your own bookmaker accounts, on the rules you set.

    Create free accountSee pricingJoin Discord

    Products

    • Automated betting
    • Horse racing betting bot
    • Same Game Multi automation
    • Bonus bet automation
    • Copy betting
    • Odds comparison
    • +EV betting
    • Betting API
    • Bookmakers
    • Pricing

    Guides

    • How betting bots work
    • Money back racing promos
    • Bonus bet converter

    Company

    • About
    • Security
    • Responsible gambling
    • Contact
    • Betmatic alternative
    • Terms
    • Privacy

    Chances are you're about to lose.

    18+ only. For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au. Self-exclusion: BetStop (betstop.gov.au).

    B337 is software, not a bookmaker or wagering service provider. Bets are placed in accounts you hold with Australian bookmakers. Bookmaker names are trade marks of their owners; B337 is not affiliated with or endorsed by them. Bookmaker terms may restrict automated betting. B337 (Bet337) is operated by WJ Corporation Pty Ltd, ABN 22 687 040 277.

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