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Pubs and clubs with more than 21 poker machines have until July to appoint responsible gambling officers to identify problem gamblers, particularly in the danger hours between midnight and 8am.

Venues with 21 or more machines will be required to have a gambling officer on duty during the hours when the pokies are operating, and pubs or clubs with significantly more machines will be required to staff additional officers to cover the larger gaming floors.

The most recent figures show there are 2181 venues allowed to operate pokies in NSW. Of these, 1152 pubs and clubs have an entitlement to operate more than 20 gaming machines.

There are 615 clubs with more than 21 pokies, including 46 with more than 300 machines, according to a position paper by Liquor & Gaming NSW. Meanwhile, there are 537 pubs which will be required to have a responsible gambling officer on duty.

A gambling officer will be expected to have a higher level of responsibility than other gaming staff on the floor, and will be required to identify patrons who are at risk of harm or who are showing problematic gambling behaviour.

The officer will also need to proactively check in and engage with patrons who they suspect may have a gambling problem, and escalate serious instances of gambling harm to senior management for intervention.

All venues, regardless of the number of machines they operate, will be required to keep a gambling incident register. Liquor & Gaming NSW will mandate responsible conduct of gambling training for the gambling officers and other senior staff in hotels and clubs with gaming machines.