Classifying and profiling sports lottery gamblers: A cluster analysis approach

• Hai Li

  Shanghai University of Sport

• Luke Lunhua Mao

  The University of New Mexico

• James Jianhui Zhang

  University of Georgia , University of Georgia

• Jiaxi Xu

  Shanghai University of Sport

We developed a typology of sports gamblers based on the Scale of Assessing Problem Gambling and then to describe the clusters we identified according to the demographic and behavioral characteristics of each. Participants (N = 4,980) were Chinese sports lottery players selected using a multistage sampling procedure. All participants completed the survey. Through cluster analyses, we identified 5 distinctive clusters of sports gamblers: casual players, escalated players, at-risk players, compulsive players, and problem players. A profiling analysis revealed that these 5 clusters differed in both terms of demographic and behavioral characteristics. This typology of sports gamblers provides diagnostic information that can be used by regulatory institutions to develop relevant intervention programs.

1. Hai Li, Shanghai University of Sport
   School of Economics and Management, Institute of Sport Industry Development
2. Luke Lunhua Mao, The University of New Mexico
   Department of Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences
3. James Jianhui Zhang, University of Georgia, University of Georgia
   Department of Kinesiology
4. Jiaxi Xu, Shanghai University of Sport
   School of Economics and Management, Institute of Sport Industry Development

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