Former Clubs ACT chief Jeff House has also set up shop as a lobbyist for two of the clubs, presenting an alternative to the peak body and its union-linked competitor Canberra Community Clubs.

While most members remain in the group, Federal Golf Club, defected to the CCC earlier this year in an effort to revive its Red Hill development plans.

Three other Clubs ACT members, Eastlake, Vikings and Belconnen Magpies have stayed, but now Vikings and Eastlake have taken on Mr House's services and the Magpies have enlisted a separate firm.

A former deputy director-general of the territory's economic development directorate, Mr House left the public service in February this year amid a controversy surrounding the appointment of his partner to a government role in the directorate.

Eastlake chief executive Anthony Ratcliffe said the club had engaged Mr House's firm to help the club with the government's discussion on the proposed gaming machine reduction changes.

The government released a discussion paper in August proposing cutting the territory's poker machines from about 4900 to 4000 by 2020, in line with the latest parliamentary agreement with The Greens.

But Mr Ratcliffe said the club was still part of Clubs ACT and the souring of the relationship with the government was not related to Eastlake enlisting Mr House, rather the club need "some direction on how best to tackle" the reduction proposal.

He said Mr House had been able to secure a meeting Gaming Minister Gordon Ramsay's chief of staff on the reduction proposal, but would not be drawn on whether Clubs ACT was still able to secure similar access.

The Belconnen Magpies is listed as a client of Nexus Asia Pacific, an outfit linked to Capital Hill Advisory, which also includes among its staff former senior political advisor to the Chief Minister, Kathryn Conroy.

The relationship between the clubs sector and the government soured after the government announced plans to allow poker machines into the redeveloped Canberra Casino, and a clubs-led campaign against the government ahead of last year's election.

That led to Chief Minister Andrew Barr refusing to meet with Clubs ACT, financial woes for the group after its $240,000 campaign spend and the union movement setting up the CCC.

Mr Barr's office would not directly answer questions about which ministers had met with Clubs ACT members, on what issues, and who the meetings were organised by, in the past six months.

Instead, his spokesman said ministers had met with clubs "that we understand are members of Clubs ACT on a variety of issues in the past six months".

"Several clubs that made submissions to the consultation process on the reduction in poker machines have requested and had one-on-one meetings with members of the government, which includes staff of the Attorney-General [Gordon Ramsay], in recent weeks," he said.

"Club representative groups including Clubs ACT were part of the harm minimisation roundtable where issues, including the reduction in poker machines, were discussed."

He also said Police Minister Mick Gentleman met with Clubs ACT and police about safety at clubs after a spate of break and enters.

Mr House declined to comment and calls to Clubs ACT, the Vikings Club and Belconnen Magpies were not returned before filing.