A business here, called Leading Edge Software, says it has created a software product that helps gambling operations comply with state regulations, reduce costs, and become more efficient.


The product, which Leading Edge Software released in March, is called StraightEdge 3.0 and includes 50 software applications, says Michael Levinson, the companys president and CEO. Those applications help gambling operations collect and organize information about employees, customers, and cash flow, among other things, Levinson says.


If you asked the standard casino executive about this information, they wouldnt know it off hand, he says. Were giving them the tools that help with compliance issues and efficiency.


The ability to collect information quickly and accurately is important for gaming entities, such as casinos and card rooms, because the Washington state Gambling Commission (WSGC) requires those businesses to track certain data, including recording when money or chips are brought to a table or when chips or cards have been destroyed, he says.


Currently, most businesses use handwritten forms to comply with controls set by the WSGC, Levinson says. That process often is time-consuming and carries a substantial risk for errors, which can result in heavy fines by the agency, he says. It also creates a hassle for WSGC field agents, who must sort through piles of paperwork to inspect a gambling operation, he says.


In addition, most gambling operations collect data, such as a customers check limit, for their own use, Levinson says. Many use spreadsheets or even recipe cards to track that information, which can result in incomplete or inconsistent data, he asserts. An electronic database such as StraightEdge 3.0 reduces errors substantially while increasing efficiency, giving clients the ability to reduce staff size by at least one employee, Levinson claims.


Leading Edge Software started in 2002 when Classic Rock Casino at Lilac Lanes asked Levinson, a software developer who was working at another software company here, to create a program that would help the casino track information about its customers, he says. Levinson formed Leading Edge Software, then developed a product that could organize information about a customers address, Social Security number, check limit, average bet, and primary gambling focus, among other data, he says.


After developing software for Classic Rock, Levinson created a software application that would help gambling operations comply with state regulations, he says.


Leading Edge Software has five employees and is located in an 800-square-foot leased space at 12128 N. Division, he says. The number of its employees fluctuates depending on the volume of software products its developing. So far, Classic Rock Casino, which pays fees annually to Leading Edge Software, is the companys sole client, although Leading Edge plans to market its product statewide soon, after completing extensive testing, he says. Its clients wont include tribal casinos, since those operations follow different regulations, he says.


Leading Edge Softwares services include installing software, training employees to use it, and providing a client with any updates of the software product for free, he says. It also provides a 24-hour technical support service. Levinson declines to disclose what it charges for the software and support services, saying that prices can vary depending on a clients specific needs. He also declines to disclose Leading Edge Softwares annual revenues.


StraightEdge 3.0


StraightEdge 3.0 is installed on a clients main server, and appropriate applications are installed on the computers that staff members use, he says. Staff members enter information into their computers, and that information then is stored on the server, he says.


StraightEdge 3.0 contains electronic versions of the forms that the WSGC requires gambling operations to complete. For instance, employees must fill out an incident report if a customer cheats during a card game, Levinson says. Rather than finding the appropriate form and then taking a Polaroid picture of the offender to be passed around the casino, an employee can fill out the form electronically and then take a digital picture of the customer thats put into the system. Afterward, employees can view the picture on their computers and pull up the incident report quickly for a WSGC field agent whos conducting an inspection, he says.


The WSGC licenses all personnel at gambling establishments who handle money, Levinson says. It also requires that those individuals, including people who deal cards, renew their gambling licenses annually, he says. Fines for dealers who work without a license can range from $10,000 to $27,000 per offense, he says. Currently, most gambling operations create a list of the expiration dates of every card dealers license and post it in the employee break room, he says.


If I had to daily sort through 123 employees to find out whose license was set to expire, that would take me an incredibly long time, Levinson says.


In contrast, StraightEdge 3.0 has an application that automatically alerts administrators when a dealer has less than 90 days to renew his or her license, he says.


StraightEdge 3.0 also includes an application to help employees calculate at the end of each day the amount of money that a gambling operation has collected, as required by the WSGC, he says. Currently, most employees count money by hand then sort the bills into groups of 25, called clips, or 100, called straps. That process can be rife with errors, he contends, especially considering that a cashiers cage typically contains as much as $70,000.


With StraightEdge 3.0, employees can count up the money then enter the dollar value into one of the softwares applications, Levinson says. That application will calculate how many straps, clips, and loose bills that amount of money should produce. Or, an employee can count the number of clips and straps that have been collected, and the application will calculate the dollar value of that amount of paper currency.


Leading Edge Software is working with Larry Boyd, a retired Eastern Washington supervisor for the WSGC who has started a company here called Boyd Gambling Consulting & Investigations LLC, Levinson says. Boyd is consulting with Leading Edge Software to make sure its applications comply with WSGCs regulations.


StraightEdge 3.0 also has applications that gambling operations can use to track other information, such as how many checks have been cashed on a given day, he says.


It also has an application that tracks a customers check limit, so employees can access a customers profile and find out if the customer is trying to cash a check over his or her limit, Levinson says. If a customer wants to raise that limit, the casinos owner or manager can find the customers profile quickly on the electronic database when deciding whether to allow the increase, rather than having to sort through papers to find the customers check history, he says.


Leading Edge Software currently is working on developing an application, called Pull Tab Pro, which can track sales at each pull tab machine at a casino, he says. It plans to release that product in late September, he says.


Contact Emily Brandler at (509) 344-1265 or via e-mail at emilyb@spokanejournal.com.