''That's Jim, sitting down, Johnny Z's over there with the hat, Bradley's playing pool and that's Mick there, having a beer,'' he said.

But few punters go to their local pub to gamble any more, which could be the problem. If any of Paul's customers were gambling their pay cheques away on the pokies, he would know about it. ''I've had that conversation with a few people. 'How are you going? How much have you spent? Are you doing OK?''' he said. ''Someone throws away $1000 in here, we know about it.''

Pubs and taverns have been forgotten in new ACT pokies reforms, leaving them with outdated, expensive card machines they can't offload - losing them customers to the big clubs.

Mr Berger said they don't want more machines, just new ones so they can compete. ''Imagine two restaurants - one's offering steak and the other's offering meatballs. We can't match that,'' he said.

Under current ACT laws, pubs and taverns are only able to run old card machines, or class-B machines, whereas clubs can stock the newest electronic gaming machines.

President of the National Federation for Independent Businesses Pamela Ayson says ACT pubs have never been given an explanation for the difference.

''There's never been a reason,'' she said. ''It was take it or leave it.''

The federation campaigned strongly in 2004 for ACT pubs and taverns to be allowed to operate poker machines, but they were allowed only the older models.

A spokesman for ACT Minister for Gaming and Racing Joy Burch said it was a policy the government had no intention of changing.

''This historical arrangement is the result of the ACT government's long-standing community gaming model whereby the profits from gaming machines are returned, directly, to the community,'' he said.

The owner of Moby Dick's Tavern in Holt, Darcy Henry, said he had seen several businesses go under because of the legislation.

''You see colleagues and places fall over, because they don't have the money to pay the rent,'' he said.

''It's wicked what they're doing.''

The card machines which the Fyshwick Tavern is allowed to use are all secondhand. The newest one was made in 2004.

''We don't have anyone come in to play,'' Mr Henry said. ''Come pay day the pub should be packed, but instead they're down at the club.''

Mrs Ayson said pubs and taverns were the missing link in stopping problem gambling.

''The owner of the tavern knows the patrons by name,'' she said. ''So if he sees Fred or Joe are putting a few too many coins in the machine, he'll just have a word in his ear.''

Mr Henry said clubs didn't have that personal connection to their customers. ''To a club, they're a number,'' he said. ''To us, it's Rob, who drinks a midi of Blonde.''