“Betting software” describes four different products that are all sold with the same words. This is what each one actually does, what to check before paying for it, and how to work out which one you need — including the cases where the answer is none of them.
We make one of these products, so read this knowing that. We have no affiliate links and take no commission from any sportsbook, which means nothing on this page changes depending on which book you use.
Published
The four categories
Odds screens
Shows you every sportsbook’s price on the same market side by side.
Why it works
Taking the best available price is the only edge that needs no opinion and no model. It is the first thing worth doing and the cheapest.
What to check
Check which of the books it lists you can actually open an account with in your state, and whether prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket are in the comparison. A headline count of books is only useful if you can bet at them.
Who needs it
Everyone. If you are betting without it you are giving away margin on every bet.
Bet tracking
Records what you bet, at what price, and what it returned.
Why it works
Almost nobody knows their real profit and loss. A tracker turns a feeling into a number, and it is the only way to find out whether a strategy works.
What to check
How much typing it demands. A tracker you stop updating in week three is worse than a spreadsheet, because you will trust the partial record.
Who needs it
Anyone betting more than occasionally, and anyone about to pay for anything else on this list.
Projection models
Produces its own number for a market and shows you where the sportsbook disagrees.
Why it works
It is the only category that can tell you a price is wrong rather than just which price is highest.
What to check
Whether the model publishes a graded record, by sport, with the sample size. A model that never shows you its misses is asking for trust it has not earned. Ask what it is measured against — results are hindsight, the closing line is a test.
Who needs it
Bettors who already take the best price and track their bets, and want to know which bets to make.
Arbitrage and middles scanners
Finds two prices that, bet together, cover more than one outcome.
Why it works
The math is real and it is checkable before you stake.
What to check
It carries real risk, whatever the marketing says. Prices move while you are placing the second leg, sportsbooks void bets, and account limits arrive quickly once you are found. Getting stake sizes wrong eats the margin in one bet.
Who needs it
A minority, honestly. It is work, it burns accounts, and the returns are smaller than the screenshots suggest.
What is different about betting in the US
Three things decide whether a tool fits an American bettor. State-by-state coverage: sportsbooks are licensed one state at a time, so a long list of books only helps if the ones you can legally use where you live are on it. Prediction markets: Kalshi and Polymarket now price many of the same games, and a comparison that leaves them out can miss the best number. Odds format: a tool should show American odds (-110, +150) the way your sportsbook does, so you are not converting prices in your head on every bet.
It is also worth knowing who pays the tool you are reading. Much of the betting content online earns affiliate commission when you open a sportsbook account through it, which means its recommendations are not neutral. HaterPicks has no affiliate links and is paid only by its members.
A checklist before you pay for anything
Does it price the sportsbooks that are legal in your state?
Does it include prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket?
Does it show American odds, and is the subscription priced in US dollars?
If it makes projections, is there a published record by sport, with sample sizes?
Is that record measured against the closing line, or against results?
Can you cancel in one step, and is there a way to try it without a card?
Does it take money from sportsbooks? If it does, its recommendations are not neutral.
Where HaterPicks sits, and where it doesn’t
HaterPicks is categories one and three on the same screen: live odds comparison across 14 US sportsbooks and prediction markets, in American odds, with our own projection beside each market and the gap between the two ranked. Every projection is graded against the result, and each sport's hit rate is published with its sample size once 1,000 of its projections have been graded. A bet tracker with betslip scanning is included, and the calculators are free with no account.
It is the wrong choice in three cases. If you bet a handful of times a year, the free calculators and any odds screen will serve you better than a subscription. If you want tracking and nothing else, a dedicated tracker does that job for less. And if the sports you bet are not on our board, a tool built around them will serve you better — today the board covers the NFL, college football and the NBA, with MLB, the NHL, the WNBA and college basketball rolling out.
Start with the free ones
No account, no card. If you have never stripped the margin out of a price, start with the vig guide.
There is no single answer, because the tools do different jobs. If you are not yet comparing odds across sportsbooks, an odds screen returns the most for the least effort. If you already do that, a bet tracker tells you whether what you are doing works. A projection model is the next step, and only worth paying for once the first two are habits. Arbitrage scanners suit a small minority. Check that anything you pay for covers the sportsbooks that are legal in your state and shows American odds.
Is it legal to use betting software in the US?
Sports betting is legal in some states and not others, and each state sets its own rules, so check yours first. Where it is legal, comparing odds and researching a bet before you place it is simply part of betting. You must be 21 or older to bet in most states. Sportsbooks may limit accounts they consider unprofitable; that is a commercial decision on their side, not a legal one.
How many sportsbook accounts do I actually need?
Fewer than comparison sites imply, and it depends on your state, because sportsbooks are licensed state by state. What matters is how many genuinely different prices you can reach, not how many logos you hold. Watch an odds screen for a few weeks and you will see which of your books actually lead on the markets you bet.
How can I tell whether a betting model is any good?
Ask for its record by sport, with the sample size, measured against the closing line rather than against results. Results are hindsight and a good run proves nothing over a small sample; whether you beat the closing price is a test you can pass or fail on every single bet. A model with no published record, or one that publishes a headline figure with no denominator, has told you nothing.
Is HaterPicks the right choice for everyone?
No. If you bet a few times a year on big events, none of this is worth paying for — use the free calculators and take the best price. If you only want bet tracking, a dedicated tracker will do that job well and cost less. HaterPicks makes sense when you want projections, odds comparison across US sportsbooks and prediction markets, and a graded record in one place.
What does HaterPicks cost?
Free tools cover calculators and basic odds comparison. HaterPicks is US$12.95 a week or US$39.95 a month, with a free account that needs no card and a 3-day trial of the full terminal.