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Canberra's clubs made a combined $168 million from poker machines in the past year, with the vast bulk of that concentrated in the hands of the eight biggest club groups. For these clubs, poker machines are big business. The most profitable are in the hands of the Labor Party's four Labor clubs, whose machines make $50,000 each a year. This compares to the average for all poker machines in Canberra, of $36,600 before tax. The Labor club group made a total of $24.4 million before tax in the past financial year, about $700,000 less than 2014-15. The Labor clubs own 489 poker machines. They are the fourth biggest owner, after the Vikings, the Raiders and the Southern Cross group. Between them, the top four own 53 per cent of machines, and make 59 per cent of all revenue from poker machines. The figures were released last week in the annual report on poker machines and community contributions. Overall, poker machine numbers in clubs are down from 4956 in the 2014-15 year to 4585 in 2015-16. The report shows that 85 per cent of poker machines are held by the biggest eight club groups - the four listed above, plus The Tradies (467), Ainslie (423), Hellenic clubs (294) and the Eastlake group (286). Between them, the eight big groups own 3927 machines. Another three clubs have between 122 and 144 machines. That leaves half of all club groups owning only 6 per cent of the poker machines. The smaller clubs also make much less money from each machine than the big clubs - while they have 6 per cent of machines between them, they make just 2 per cent of revenue. Clubs are required to donate at least 8 per cent of poker machine profits (the net revenue, after taxes and expenses) to community groups. Clubs donate more than that - averaging 12.45 per cent of profits, by far the bulk of which goes to sports. Of $11.7 million donated overall, $6.61 million went to sport. Clubs gave $1.9 million to not-for-profit activities, and $1 million to charities and social welfare. The amount given to women's sport, counted separately, was down $90,000 on the year before, to $356,000. The Labor clubs and the Vikings donate more than any other to women's sport - giving $128,000, and $114,000 respectively in the year. Labor is also virtually alone in donating extra money to problem gambling beyond the compulsory levy, giving $71,000. The levy raised $1 million. The individual club with the most profitable poker machines is the Labor Party's city club, which makes $54,400 per machine, followed closely by the Labor club in the Belconnen town centre, which makes $53,400 per machine. Next comes the Southern Cross Club in Tuggeranong , which makes $48,800 per machine, then the Tradesmen's Union Club in Dickson, $47,100, and the Labor club at Charnwood, $46,500. The club which makes the least is the Australian Croatian Club, which has 13 machines from which it made a grand total of $717 gross revenue,or $55 per machine. Clubs say profits have fallen since the smoking ban took effect in 2006. The oldest report available online is from 2008-09. Since then, revenue has fallen almost 4 per cent. The Labor-Greens parliamentary agreement signed in October promises to reduce poker machine numbers to 4000 by mid 2020.

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