betfairlightweight

What it is and what it does

betfairlightweight is a client library that bridges Python code to the Betfair exchange API, handling authentication, market queries, order placement, and real-time streaming of market and order data. It wraps the Betfair API-NG endpoints and provides pythonic abstractions for betting operations (listing events, placing bets, managing orders) and account operations (checking balances, viewing statements). The library can optionally use C and Rust libraries for faster parsing and serialization when installed with the [speed] extra.

Typically used by traders and bots that need to connect to Betfair programmatically—either for one-off queries via the REST endpoints or for continuous market monitoring and order management via streaming listeners. It handles session management (login, keep-alive, logout), caches market and order state, and can push updates through a queue for asynchronous processing. Historical data can also be parsed and replayed using the same streaming infrastructure.

Use it for:

• Build a trading bot that subscribes to live market streams, processes price updates, and places orders based on custom logic.
• Backtest a betting strategy by replaying historical market data through the same streaming listeners used for live trading.
• Query account balances, statement history, and available funds programmatically for portfolio management or reporting.
• Monitor in-play events and race status in real time to trigger conditional bets or risk management actions.
• Aggregate market data across multiple event types or regions and export to CSV or a database for analysis.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

A Python wrapper for the Betfair API-NG that handles betting operations, market and order streaming, and account management with optional C and Rust acceleration.

Yes. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, carries no security vulnerabilities, and is licensed permissively. Install it if you need a programmatic Betfair client; the only real prerequisite is having valid Betfair credentials and understanding the API authentication model (app key, SSL certs, or interactive login).

Install

betfairlightweight on PyPI

pip install betfairlightweight

uv add betfairlightweight

poetry add betfairlightweight

Installing betfairlightweight

Before you install

Low friction install with a single runtime dependency (requests). The project is actively maintained with recent commits and has been stable since 2016, tested on Python 3.9 through 3.14.

License in practice

MIT License permits commercial and private use, modification, and distribution with minimal restrictions—standard permissive terms that impose no meaningful constraint on adoption.

Quickstart

pip install betfairlightweight

import betfairlightweight

trading = betfairlightweight.APIClient('username', 'password', app_key='app_key', certs='/certs')
trading.login()
event_types = trading.betting.list_event_types()

Requires Betfair account credentials (username, password, app key) and SSL certificates for non-interactive login; interactive login available without certs but less secure.

Verify before relying

• Whether C/Rust acceleration via the [speed] extra meaningfully improves latency for typical streaming or order-placement workloads.
• Performance characteristics under high-frequency order updates or large market subscriptions.
• Stability and completeness of support for all Betfair API endpoints across different market types and regions.

Package facts

Evidence: betfairlightweight-2.23.2-py3-none-any.whl

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