The Problem Gambling Severity Index (PGSI) is the most commonly used measure to assess problem gambling in the general population. Although the PGSI has been validated in many studies, it has been suggested that unique subgroups may exist within the moderate-risk category (scores of 3–7). In this study, the researchers further assessed the moderate-risk category of the PGSI. Survey data were collected from 18,494 users of a provincial gambling website in Canada.
A total of 3,932 respondents scored in the moderate-risk category. Three unique clusters were identified and labelled ‘possibly episodic’, ‘specific problems’, and ‘intermediate cases’. People in the ‘possibly episodic’ cluster tended to report more problem gambling that occurred sometimes, whereas those in the ‘specific problems’ cluster tended to report fewer problems that occurred more frequently. The ‘intermediate cases’ showed a pattern of responses between the two. Group differences were found on education, employment, and financial well-being. The findings suggest that there is more variability within the moderate-risk category than initially believed.
