Table 7.
Descriptive statistics and inferential tests for demographic variables by most problematic online gambling form.
| Variable | Problematic online EGM gamblers (n = 98) | Problematic online sports bettors (n = 181) | Problematic online race bettors (n = 291) | Inferential statistics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Gender (% male) | 71.4a | 98.3b | 96.2b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 78.69, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.37 |
| Age (Mean/SD) | 36.8a (12.7) | 31.1b (9.8) | 39.0a (12.8) | F(2,567) = 25.46, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.08 |
| Education (% with degree) | 15.3a | 44.8b | 35.4b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 24.32, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.21 |
| Work status (% working) | 76.5 | 77.3 | 81.1 | χ2(2, N = 570) = 1.43, p = 0.489 |
| Income ($000’s, Mean, SD) | 65.7a (42.4) | 81.7b (49.6) | 83.8b (44.3) | F(2,535) = 5.66, p = 0.004, η2 = 0.02 |
| Country of birth (% Australia) | 83.7a,b | 76.2b | 89.7a | χ2(2, N = 570) = 15.36, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.16 |
| Main language spoken at home (% English) | 88.8a,b | 77.9b | 89.7a | χ2(2, N = 570) = 13.59, p = 0.001, Φ = 0.15 |
| Gambling behavior | ||||
| Number of forms in last 12 months (mean, SD) | 5.7a (1.8) | 4.6b (2.2) | 4.9b (1.8) | F(2,567) = 9.84, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.03 |
| Gambler status | χ2(2, N = 570) = 6.92, p = 0.140 | |||
| Professional | 1.0a | 3.3a | 0.7a | |
| Semi-professional | 12.2a | 16.0a | 12.4a | |
| Amateur (%) | 86.7a | 80.7a | 86.9a | |
| PGSI (mean, SD) | 9.5a (6.0) | 8.3ab (4.6) | 7.4b (4.6) | F(2,567) = 7.55, p = 0.001, η2 = 0.03 |
| Alcohol use when gambling (% at least sometimes) | 77.6a | 64.1b | 73.2a,b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 6.93, p = 0.031, Φ = 0.11 |
| Drug use when gambling (% at least sometimes) | 23.5a | 8.8b | 9.3b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 16.36, p < 0.001, Φ = 0.17 |
| Psychological variables | ||||
| Kessler 6 (grouped, % high psychological distress) | 21.4a | 12.7ab | 11.7b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 6.11, p = 0.047, Φ = 0.10 |
| Kessler 6 score (mean, SD) | 7.4a (6.3) | 6.4ab (5.3) | 5.1b (5.0) | F(2,567) = 8.24, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.03 |
| Attitudes toward gambling (mean, SD) | -1.27a (0.96) | -0.90b (0.99) | -1.00a,b (1.04) | F(2,567) = 4.33, p = 0.014, η2 = 0.02 |
| Problems emerged after you first gambled online (% after) | 41.8a | 64.4b | 51.6a | χ2(2, N = 540) = 12.97, p = 0.002, Φ = 0.16 |
| Thought you needed help in relation to your gambling (% yes) | 54.1a | 35.9b | 44.0a,b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 8.72, p = 0.013, Φ = 0.12 |
| Ever sought help (% yes) | 46.9a | 31.5b | 27.5b | χ2(2, N = 570) = 12.77, p = 0.002, Φ = 0.15 |
Subscripts indicate pairwise comparisons (tests of proportions for all variables apart from age, which are Tukey tests). Groups with the same letter are not significantly different from each other, and groups with two subscripts are not significantly different from either of the other groups. For example, for country of birth, a significantly higher proportion of problematic online race bettors was born in Australia compared to problematic online sports bettors (different subscripts), while problematic online EGM gamblers are not significantly different from either group. If no subscripts are present, no significant differences were observed.