Elburn firm develops app to track gambling
Elburn-based Sandcroft.net, which aims to create a variety of apps for iPhone, has launched its first app that provides record-keeping and reports for slot machine and video poker winnings.
It’s called WinLoss: Slot Player’s Diary, available at iTunes, and has had more than 100 downloads so far, according to Dennis Walstad, part of the family-owned business that started last year.
“We noticed that while there were hundreds of thousands of apps available in the Apple App Store, only a few addressed the issue of collecting gambling data and, in our opinion, none were usable for this purpose,” Walstad said. “Personal experience showed that it is not an easy thing to keep usable gambling records.”
Walstad believes a number of people who play the slot machines probably don’t keep any records because they either don’t understand the law or haven’t had any big wins. They’re likely just having too much fun, he said.
If you really hit it big, the casino likely will hand you a W-2G form for withholding taxes.
Or users can try this app for free, and if you actually use it for any length of time, you’ll probably need to upgrade at a cost of $7.99.
“We have several other app ideas and are in the process of sorting them out,” he said.
The IRS, on the other hand, doesn’t endorse or recommend software products related to gambling, said IRS spokeswoman Sue Hales.
The IRS has its own smartphone app, called IRS2Go, which allows you to check the status of your refund and to get tax updates. It’s available at the Apple App Store.
Surfing: Chicago-based Callpod Inc. (www.callpod.com) has debuted Keeper, an application for iPhone that stores your passwords and secret information by using encryption, and keeping your device protected from hackers.
ŸThe IT Security and Forensics Conference & Expo will be March 24 and 25 at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Wheaton. It offers programs on security, digital forensics, ethical hacking, cloud computing and more. See www.cpd.iit.edu/netsecure.
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