Only five AFL clubs made a profit in 2013 without the assistance of poker machines, according to figures presented to the clubs by the AFL.

And remarkably, one of the clubs that made a pokies-free profit was North Melbourne, which made a decision to avoid poker machines from its business model, and is among the smallest clubs for revenue.

Illustration: Mick Connolly

The five clubs that made a profit without non-football revenue - almost all of which is from poker machine venues - were Collingwood, Richmond, West Coast, Fremantle and North Melbourne. The Kangaroos are the clear outlier from that group of five and, according to the club, made a profit of $1.3 million in 2013 as a result of running a very low-cost operation.

Even Hawthorn, the 2013 premier and one of the game’s most financially robust clubs, had a profit that was assisted by pokie earnings. The Hawks made a healthy profit of $3.1 million in 2013, but they are understood to have earned more than $4 million from their lucrative Waverley Gardens gaming venue, and have plans to earn more from their new Caroline Springs venue.