In 2002, with much fanfare, Bally Gaming Systems introduced its Ray Charles slot machine, specifically designed for visually impaired players. The game, which included audio cues and a Braille button deck, and featured Charles' rendition of "America the Beautiful," came about as a result of a close collaboration between the gaming manufacturer and the late artist, who lost his sight as a child. "This makes so much sense, because you can do whatever you want by yourself. Independence is a helluva thing, man … So here's a device where I can use it, I can go out and have as much fun as the next guy, and I don't have to depend on anyone else to do it. I think that's great," commented the 71-year-old singer when the game was launched.
In March of that year, Bally Gaming received an Access Award from the American Foundation for the Blind, which is given to honor "individuals, corporations, and organizations that are eliminating or substantially reducing inequities faced by people who are blind or visually impaired."
We contacted Bally Gaming Systems for an update and regret to inform you that the news is not good. Their marketing manager described the game as "a very noble experiment that frankly just never caught on." In spite of all the publicity, they sold very few models and, in the highly competitive world of slot machines, the law of supply and demand rules. He was unable to determine which properties had originally bought the machine without trawling through sales records going back four years, but sincerely doubted that there were any examples left on casino floors. Since this game was not a success, the company did not attempt to develop any other games for the visually impaired, and a call to IGT —one of the leading game manufacturers — confirmed that it's not a path they've ever been down, either.
The only positive story we came across while researching this QoD involved the introduction of the Electronic Dauber (TED for short) for visually and hearing-impaired bingo players. The devices were developed by a company called Game Tech International, based in Reno, and use RF (radio frequency) technology, which basically plays the game for you, punching in card numbers as quickly as they come out of the bingo hopper and enabling the player to electronically "mark" as many as 57 bingo cards at once. An alert sounds if you're one number off a bingo and a little song plays if you win, so there's no chance of missing a winning card. Although TEDs are particularly helpful to the visually impaired, they were originally developed with sighted players in mind, but were later equipped with optional Braille keypads, making them even easier to operate for those who have seeing difficulties.
The first casino to introduce TEDs was the Oneida Indian Nation's Turning Stone resort in New York State, but the devices have since been introduced in numerous casinos throughout the U.S. Other manufacturers, including Fortunet in Las Vegas, have brought out similar devices and all the bingo rooms that we surveyed had one version or the other. These included the Coast and Station properties, Arizona Charlie's (Decatur), Terrible's, Sam's Town, Plaza, and Fiesta Rancho. Both TEDs and Fortunets are available in B/W and color versions (the latter are usually $2 per session to hire, as opposed to $1 for the B/W) and it was suggested to us that the color ones would be better for the visually impaired, since the display is clearer. No casino we spoke to had the Braille overlays, but since the TEDs do all the work for you, they're hardly necessary. If you were a regular at one of the rooms, Game Tech International felt confident that the casino would order one from them specially for you, if asked.
For those who like their bingo a little more interactive, we understand that Gold Coast, Suncoast, South Coast, and Arizona Charlie's (Decatur) casinos also have Braille paper cards that are available upon request.
