Autistic characteristics are so common in people who wager money raises the question of whether the people are more susceptible to autism than non-gamblers. The answer is: yes, they are. Why? Let’s find out. 

Who Are Players/Gamblers?

A person who craves high-risk experiences and plays online casino games like pokies, blackjack, is known as a gambler. Since autistic gamblers’ sense of touch is especially vulnerable, online games like Bonza Spins pokies help them avoid  new environments or social collaboration with others. It can result in some problems, however,it’s hard to fully assess the situation. Many online thrill seekers with autism remain anonymous.

Addicted

There is still a great deal that we do not know about compulsive gambling. We don’t know why it happens, and we don’t even have a clear idea of how many people are affected by it. While that may be the case, what we do know is that millions of Americans are fans of casino games — and some of these could be at risk for compulsive gambling. These numbers should serve as both a warning call and an indication of where future research should be focused. It’s not going to be a fun task, but if anything is going to help addicted gamesters and their loved ones, it’s going to be through education. 

Correlation

Two prior studies suggest that compulsive gaming is linked to attention deficit hyperactivity and autism spectrum disorders. The current study tested this association among a community sample of young adult gamblers (N=31; M age=28.57 years; M years of education=14.38; 74% male; 74% Caucasian; 20% African American). Individuals in the highest quartile for autistic elements experienced double the number of disordered gambling symptoms and spent significantly more cumulative hours per week gambling compared to those in the next-highest quartile. Individuals in the highest autistic trait quartile were also found to endorse significantly higher scores on two subscales that measure aspects of compulsivity and impulsivity. These findings highlight the need for future research in this area, particularly among clinical samples of gamblers, as well as a need for screening protocols that assess both disordered gambling symptoms and symptoms connected with various personality disorders with known overlaps with disordered gambling.

What Are Autism-Specific Characteristics?

There are several autistic features in gamesters. These include:

• They often have difficulty with change. When you are diagnosed with gambling disorder, you will likely be asked to make a change in your life and some of the areas that may need to be changed are: changing how much time you spend gambling; stopping all the things that go along with gambling like lying and hiding money or debts; making a new plan for spending time instead of gambling.
• Lack of empathy. People with autism often struggle to understand or recognize other people’s emotions, which can make it hard for them to connect with others, build friendships and maintain relationships.
• Social collaboration problems. Those who have difficulty making eye contact, reading social cues and interacting with others may find it hard to form friendships or engage in conversation with strangers while gambling at a casino or on the internet.
• Social insensitivity. People who lack empathy are also likely to be less aware of what other people think about them — or even if they like them — and this can result in awkward social situations where they say things that hurt others’ feelings without realizing it until later when someone calls them out for being insensitive or rude. Besides making social collaborations challenging for those who have these traits, this trait makes it difficult for individuals struggling with developmental disorders like autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) because they may not realize why their behavior is inappropriate unless someone tells them so directly.

Summary 

Autism gamers are often disconnected from their peers and the world around them. Gambling sites capitalize on this by getting them to use their own ‘relationship’ as a template for gambling. Their senses of empathy and social awareness become distorted as they use what they do know about themselves as a basis for making decisions, which leaves them vulnerable to addiction. When society speaks so negatively of the autistic individual, it makes the situation more difficult to identify, because the individuals themselves view their behavior as self-destructive and not a result of their autism. Therefore, these individuals are less likely to seek help and more likely to continue with their compulsive gambling. Because their behavior is not viewed in a way that links to autism, addiction is more easily accepted and thus perpetuated. It cannot be resolved without recognizing the connection.