Joanna Richardson, of Rochester, has won a hard-fought fight for the right to use audible bingo cards in bingo halls.
Richardson, aged 51, was born blind, uses an electronic bingo card, which enables her to keep track of numbers in bingo games. Until this month, she was forced to use the card in silent mode, but she is now permitted to have the card make a sound when she hits bingo.
“You have he control over the majority of what’s going on now” she said “You don’t feel like you’re throwing your money away. You know when you’re waiting and you know when you won. You can’t be cheated.”
In the past players had complained that the cards made too much noise, but Richardson campaigned to the Racing and Wagering Board, and eventually, her persistence paid off. The board have now agreed to allow cards to make a beep when the player is one number away from scoring a bingo, and another when the player hits bingo. Bingo halls are now allowed to offer such cards to any player, whether they have a disability or not.
Joe Mahoney, a spokesman for the Racing and Wagering agency, said of Richardson “She’s a profile in persistence”. He explained that the agency had been reluctant to change the rules because they did not want to turn bingo halls into casino-like places, full of flashing lights and beeping sounds.
The board members eventually agreed to change the rules, however, so that players like Richardson could enjoy the game.
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