India, May 1 -- LUCKNOW A palm-sized, transistor-like gadget is quietly driving a vast, real-time cricket betting network that links Gujarat's trading hubs with cities like Lucknow, updating wagers with every ball in T20 matches.

The alleged suicide of a man in Gudamba, reportedly after losses in IPL betting, has once again thrown light on the scale and reach of this underground system.

Sources say the network runs on a tightly coordinated chain. Key operators in Surat and Ahmedabad circulate live odds through calls and messages to sub-centres across cities. Local handlers then relay these constantly changing rates onto handheld devices carried by field agents positioned in betting "play zones".

"The odds shift instantly-every wicket, ...