PrizePicks API response fields: timestamps, sides and nulls

Many integration bugs come from reading a field as something it is not. This guide walks through the PrizePicks API response fields whose meaning is easy to get wrong.

Three different timestamps

• The observed_at field records when an observation was collected.
• The source_updated_at field is the upstream timestamp when supplied and parseable, and it may be null.
• The first_seen_at field is the earliest observation retained by the service, not necessarily the opening offer.

Sides, payouts and promotions

The selections array carries side-level availability and tier, and More and Less may differ. The payout_multiplier field is only populated when actually available, and null is not zero. Returned lines are provider base lines, and promotional eligibility and the effective customer offer are not modeled. Reported promotion fields in source_context never replace the base line. Popularity counts are source-reported and their definition is unverified.

Source health in the response

The meta.source_status field gives source-health context, because a successful HTTP response alone is not a freshness guarantee. By default, live projections include only active offers present in the latest successful collection for their scope and confirmed within the last 30 minutes. A delayed or blocked source can therefore return fewer rows. The status=all filter exposes retained observations, including older offers, whose timestamps should be checked before use.

What the fields do not tell you

The service does not infer sportsbook odds or winning probabilities from a PrizePicks line. Results and official platform settlements are separate concepts from projection lines.