The emails, released to the Sunday Canberra Times under the Freedom of Information Act, show ClubsACT chief executive Jeff House welcoming assurances that the $50 note decision was likely to go ahead by the end of 2014.

Mr House described it as "a very welcome Xmas present" in an email to Gaming Minister Joy Burch's then chief of staff, Phillip Tardif.

But Ms Burch said it was normal and appropriate for ministers' offices to have good working relationships with key stakeholders and the documents showed minimal exchange between her office and ClubsACT.

The Sunday Canberra Times used FOI law to seek access to correspondence between Ms Burch's office and ClubsACT. The office released four emails, although it also invited the newspaper to view a briefing to the minister on the issue.

In January, The Canberra Times revealed the ACT government had quietly legislated to allow $50 notes to be used in poker machines owned by clubs across the ACT.

Following a public backlash, the decision was abandoned and Ms Burch was reprimanded by Chief Minister Andrew Barr, who said he had no idea about the debacle until he read about it in the newspaper.

The new emails show Ms Burch's office was updating ClubsACT on the proposed legislation's progress.

In one email exchange on December 10, 12 days before Ms Burch authorised the new laws, Vikings Club chief executive Anthony Hill emailed Mr House to ask what the hold-up was on the new legislation.

Mr House said in reply he expected a positive decision before the end of the year.

"The hold up has been some advice from the [Racing and Gaming] commission which has complicated things somewhat. But I'm still confident that $50s will happen and before the end of the year," he wrote.

When Mr Hill asked if the resignation of former chief minister Katy Gallagher would affect the decision on $50 notes in poker machines, Mr House replied it wouldn't.

"Andrew's elevation to Chief Minister won't impact on the outcome," he said in the correspondence.

Mr House then forwarded Mr Hill's concerns directly to Ms Burch's then chief of staff, Mr Tardif, adding Mr Hill's comments were a "pretty representative insight".

Mr Tardif said a brief was on its way over and Mr House replied saying he was pleased.

"It will be a very welcome Xmas present," he said, referring to the proposal to allow $50 notes in electronic gaming machines.

Mr Tardif then forwarded Mr House's positive email to Ms Burch.

Mr House told The Canberra Times he had a good working relationship with the minister's office. "I've been working in and around politics in Canberra for 20 years," he said. "I know a lot of people on all sides of politics and it's a very normal, usual working relationship between a stakeholder and the relevant minister."

Ms Burch said the advice from the commission, which Mr House referred to, was about the unforeseen high cost of implementing a $500 cash input limit.

"My response sought further advice on how this cost could be mitigated, and resulted in the note acceptor being a separate regulation from the input limit," she said.

"Stakeholders are free to contact ministers' offices and ministers' offices are in regular contact with stakeholders.

"Nothing in these emails indicates anything other than a good professional working relationship."

Clarification: An earlier version of this article said that "despite requesting all emails between Ms Burch's office and ClubsACT, only four emails were released to the Sunday Canberra Times" under FOI law. The government identified only four emails as being within the scope of the FOI request and says it released them all.