How to Connect The Odds API to ChatGPT via MCP

💡 No install? Use cloud.anythingmcp.com directly. Sign in, click Connectors → The Odds API, paste your credentials, mint an MCP API key and you're done. No Docker, no git clone, no local server.

The Odds API + ChatGPT

The Odds API (the-odds-api.com) v4: betting odds from US, UK, EU and Australian bookmakers for soccer, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, tennis and more, event odds with player props, live scores, participants and historical odds. Not the odds-api.io service.

Prerequisites

See the full setup instructions baked into the connector (visible in the in-app store when you select the connector). The required environment variables for this connector are:

THE_ODDS_API_KEY

Step 1 — Get credentials

Setting up takes about 2 minutes. You need an API key from the-odds-api.com. A free plan with 500 credits a month exists; historical odds need a paid plan.

1. Sign up at the-odds-api.com. The key arrives by e-mail and is also shown on your account page.
2. Paste it into THE_ODDS_API_KEY: 32 lowercase hex characters. The connector sends it as the apiKey query parameter; it is never a tool argument.
3. Install the connector and run the_odds_api_list_sports: it lists the sports and competitions with the sport keys the other tools need, and costs no credits.

Not the odds-api.io service: AnythingMCP also has an Odds API connector, for odds-api.io. This one is for The Odds API at the-odds-api.com: use it when your key comes from there.

What it reads: odds from bookmakers in the US, UK, EU and Australia for soccer, American football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, tennis, cricket, MMA and more; match winner, handicap, over/under and futures markets; the odds of one event in any market, including player props, alternate lines and period markets; live scores and results of the last 1 to 3 days; the teams and players of a sport; and, on paid plans, odds and events as they were at a past moment (snapshots since June 2020).

Every call counts against your credits: most calls spend credits from your monthly quota, and every answer shows the balance: credits remaining, credits used and the cost of that call. The AI keeps an eye on it and tells you when it runs low.

• Free: the_odds_api_list_sports and the_odds_api_list_events.
• 1 credit: the_odds_api_get_scores (2 with the results of past days), the_odds_api_get_event_markets, the_odds_api_list_participants and the_odds_api_get_historical_events.
• Odds: number of markets times number of regions. One market in one region costs 1; match winner, handicap and over/under in the US and the EU together cost 6. Up to ten bookmakers named one by one count as one region. The AI starts with one market and one region.
• Historical odds (paid plans only): 10 credits per market per region. The AI asks you before every such call.

Typical flow: the sport key first (soccer_epl, basketball_nba, americanfootball_nfl), then the free list of events with their ids and start times, then the_odds_api_get_odds for a whole sport, or the_odds_api_get_event_markets and the_odds_api_get_event_odds for one game with its player props.

Read-only, no bets: every tool only reads. No tool places a bet or changes your account, so there is nothing to confirm and no tool is switched off at install. Odds are information, not betting advice.

Reading the odds: odds are decimal unless you ask for American odds. The implied probability is 1 divided by the decimal odds. A soccer match winner market has three outcomes, including the draw. Prices change all the time and every bookmaker carries its last update, so the AI tells you how recent the odds are. Times come in UTC and the AI converts them to your time zone.

Limits: besides the monthly credits, too many requests at once answer 429; the AI waits a second and tries again.

Common errors: 401 means the key is missing or wrong, or the monthly credits are used up. 422 is an invalid parameter, such as an unknown market or region, or a historical call on a plan without history. 404 on an event means it has started or finished and is no longer listed.

The connector does not place bets, manage your the-odds-api.com account or plan, or tell you what to bet on.

Step 2 — Install the adapter

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/HelpCode-ai/anythingmcp/main/docker-compose.quickstart.yml -o docker-compose.yml
printf 'JWT_SECRET=%s\nENCRYPTION_KEY=%s\n' "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" "$(openssl rand -hex 32)" > .env
docker compose up -d

Step 3 — Add the connector in ChatGPT

Your server URL: in AnythingMCP, open MCP Servers → the server this connector is on, and copy its URL (https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/…). Use it wherever this guide shows YOUR_SERVER_ID.

ChatGPT adds MCP servers as plugins on its Plugins page, on the web and on paid plans. Developer mode is no longer needed. In a Business workspace only admins and owners can add one; in Enterprise and Edu an admin can grant the Create plugins with MCPs permission.

1. Go to chatgpt.com/plugins, click +, then Add custom MCP server.
2. Enter a name, e.g. Name: The Odds API.
3. Under Connection, enter the Server URL https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/YOUR_SERVER_ID and keep Authentication on OAuth.
4. Select I understand and want to continue, then Create as a plugin. When ChatGPT asks, sign in to AnythingMCP and allow access.
5. Install the new plugin from your personal plugins, then type @ in a chat and pick it.

Available tools

Example prompts

• "Compare the match winner odds for Arsenal vs Chelsea at the European bookmakers and show the implied probabilities."
• "Which bookmaker has the best moneyline for each NBA game tonight?"
• "What player props are on offer for Monday Night Football, and what do they cost in credits?"
• "Give me last night's NHL scores."
• "How many credits do I have left this month?"

FAQ

Does the free ChatGPT plan work with custom MCP servers? OpenAI documents custom MCP servers for paid plans only; the Free plan is not on its list.

Next steps

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