While the smoking bans were introduced primarily in response to the dangers of passive smoking, the law provided the added bonus of acting as a circuit breaker for problem gamblers, forcing patrons to leave the machines to smoke outside.

With poker machines draining $17 million from the budgets of Griffith families each year, former gambling addict and president

of the local Winning Streak

support group Frank Carbone

said he thought the pubs and clubs were acting against the spirit of the law.

“Poker machines are a big

problem in Griffith but as long as the pubs and clubs are making money, they don’t care,” Mr Carbone said, adding that the majority of people attending Winning Streak meetings were poker machine addicts.

“The clubs talk about how their profits go straight back into the community but the problem is you get the people who can least afford to gamble gambling their savings away.”

Griffith Leagues Club general manager Jim Mullins said his club was breaking neither the law nor the spirit of the law, when it moved 11 of its 78 poker machines into its

outdoor smoking area in

early December to combat falling revenue.

“Every club in NSW has done it,” Mr Mullins said.

“I think clubs have just about had enough of the constant bashing of poker machines … more people play lotto and Powerball than they do poker machines.

“The fact is we have a responsibility to our members, whether they are smokers or non-smokers, to

provide the best facilities we can.”

Gus Lico, the general manager of Griffith Exies, rejected the suggestion his club, which has moved 13 of its 169 machines into its smoking area, was exploiting a loophole in the law.

“I think we’re working within the law; I don’t think there are any loopholes there,” Mr Lico said.

“At the end of the day we are a business and we need to protect the interest and longevity of our membership and give the members what they want. And the feedback from our members is very positive.”