XML Feed

XML feeds have been the workhorse data integration format in iGaming for two decades. Sports data, odds, settlement information, and other structured data has historically flowed between systems as XML feeds, often pulled on schedule or pushed on event triggers. The format's strengths (schema validation, broad tooling support, human-readable) made it the default for B2B integration during the formative years of online gambling. JSON has largely replaced XML for new integrations because of lower payload size, simpler parsing in modern languages, and better fit with web technology stacks. Modern data feeds tend to be JSON-based REST APIs or websocket streams. XML persists in legacy integrations where the cost of migration outweighs the benefits, and in some specific contexts where XML schema validation is operationally valuable. Operators with long-running integrations typically maintain both XML and JSON capabilities to interface with the spectrum of supplier formats.