Blind bingo fan triumphs with audible bingo cards

I was extremely touched to hear some heartwarming news about a blind bingo fan in the USA who has been battling steadfastly to win the right to use audible bingo cards when she plays bingo.

51 year old Joanna Richardson hails from Rochester NY and is blind. A long-term bingo enthusiast, the only way she can comfortably play the bingo games at her local bingo hall is either with a companion, or by using audible bingo cards.

These special electronic bingo cards enable players to keep track of ball calls with the emission of beeps everytime a number can be daubed during a bingo game, and made playing bingo muuch easier for Joanna. However other bingo players complained about the noisy beeps and further use of the cards was disallowed by local bingo halls in her area, unless the cards were set to ’silent’ mode – an apparent contradiction in terms.

Joanna started campaigning against this decision and took the battle all the way to the NY Racing and Wagering Board, not letting up until victory was assured. She has now won the right to use her audible bingo cards wherever she plays bingo, and is happy to have won her battle.

“You have the 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.” she was quoted saying.

Joanna can now set the card to make a beep when she has 1TG (one to go) or when she hits a bingo, which will allow her to play bingo again comfortable in the knowledge that she won’t miss out on a win (unless she falls asleep)!

What I found unsettling about this report was that apparently the entire issue appeared to have been caused by fellow bingo players, annoyed with the beeps emitted by the electronic bingo card. It just doesn’t seem to be in character of any bingo fan, whether you play bingo online or in a traditional bingo hall, to exclude someone from playing bingo games for such a selfish issue. My words might sound strong, but how would you play bingo if you were blind?

So from across the ocean, my hearty congratulations to Joanna for the courage to stick to her convictions and score a victory for blind bingo players, bless her cotton socks! And a noisy ‘Booooo sucks’ to all those individuals who complained. Shame on you.

Posh Bingo spreads its wings on TV

The all new Posh Bingo is the latest online bingo site to go nationwide on the telly. The site has just released its very first TV advertising campaign which will run til the end of June, on regular TV channels during the commercial breaks of shows including Coronation Street and Emmerdale, and also satellite too.

Posh Bingo is capitalising on its new found fame and glory, and doing a great job too. Personally I’m overjoyed that this solid online bingo site has finally broken away from its rather conservative origins, and has emerged as a free spirit - with plenty of excellent free bingo games to boot!

There are 4 TV advertisments in the current campaign, each featuring animated every day objects gossiping away about Posh Bingo, in upmarket settings including as a golf club, a fancy hotel, a designer handbag shop, and a upper crust tea room.

The Posh Bingo ads are enjoyable, with a touch of humour thrown in and a smattering of various posh British accents. One of the TV ads is aimed directly at men, which I find refreshing and innovative, and a clever strategy by the folks behind Posh Bingo.

It’s definitely worth checking out the Posh Bingo ads, you can see them on the front page of the bingo site itself, just click on the image of the telly and hey presto!