Bally Technologies intends to keep cashing in on the global popularity of gaming but wants to keep gambling out of its treasury. Like many middle-market companies, the $880 million designer, manufacturer and distributor of gaming devices is making money in a precarious global market where currencies swing wildly in value, often daily, and one major currency's survival may be in doubt. So Scott Edgeworth, the Las Vegas-based company's controller for treasury and risk management, is hedging its bets, something that seemed unnecessary until three years ago.

As business has become more global and the perils of leaving major currency positions unhedged have grown ominous, treasury pros like Edgeworth are searching for hedging solutions that provide the right balance of automation, outsourcing and personal attention.

Even on a modest scale, personal attention is essential, so Bally brought in Edgeworth, a CPA with banking and investment company experience, 2½ years ago, partly to organize its first currency hedging program.