When Joanna Richardson won a bingo game earlier this month in Rochester, the victory was bigger than her simply yelling out “Bingo.”

It was the first time Richardson, who was born blind, could hear her electronic bingo card notify her that she won.

“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.”

Richardson, 51, of Gates, led a two-year drive to have the state Racing and Wagering Board, which oversees bingo games in New York, allow computerized bingo cards to be audible when a player wins.

Before, due to the complaints of other players, bingo halls prohibited the digital cards from making any noise.

But Richardson, who plays bingo weekly often with the assistance of family and friends, was persistent and continued to reach out to the Racing and Wagering Board. She wrote e-mails, called agency officials and kept inquiring whether a change would be made.

A few weeks ago, the Racing and Wagering Board agreed. It changed its regulations so bingo halls could offer electronic cards that are audible for any player, including for disabled patrons.

The cards will now beep when a bingo is hit or if a player is one number away from winning.

“She’s a profile in persistence,” said Joe Mahoney, the agency’s spokesman. He said agency officials had been reluctant to change the regulation because they didn’t want bingo halls to take on a casino-like atmosphere, with an array of flashing lights and sounds.

But board members ultimately agreed that allowing electronic bingo cards to make noise can help players like Richardson better enjoy the game, Mahoney said. “She’s proof that an ordinary citizen can grapple with a problem they face from government and make the changes that can … help people,” he said.

Richardson stopped playing bingo for a short time until she was assured the electronic cards would be available to her. She returned to Bingo Palace on East Ridge Road in Rochester earlier this month when they told her an audible card would be available. “It’s exciting. I want as much independence as I possibly can — just like (other players) have” she said.