The reforms would require gamblers to "pre-commit" how much they were willing to lose.

Once they reached that limit, gamblers would be locked out from playing any machine for a period of time.

They also include the introduction of "low-impact" poker machines with a limit of about $1 for each bet.

Trudy Smith, from Seven Hills, is on a pension.

She goes to a club to play the "pokies" whenever she is "bored", she said.

Why? "Because it's somewhere to go.

"I can understand the government saying some people have a gambling problem," Ms Smith (not her real surname) said.

"I overheard a lady on a poker machine the other day who put her last $1 in and said, 'I hope I get something back'. That's problem gambling.

"Me personally, I would be pissed off if someone told me what I can and can't do with my money."

Geoff Sweeny, a retiree, plays the poker machines at Blacktown or Rooty Hill RSL for about six hours a week.

He thought the government's plans were "an invasion of privacy".

"I also don't think it's going to solve problem gambling. People will just set higher limits."

A group of women at Blacktown RSL on Thursday agreed with Ms Smith.

"It's ridiculous," Agnes Idles said.

"What's the difference if you bet on horses, Keno or football?

"What right do they have to tell you what you can do with your money?"

Mrs Idles said she went to the club to play the machines for a couple of hours once a week. She met friends at the RSL and it was a social occasion for them.

Her friend Sarah Brown said they always bet within their limits.

"We bet 25 cents or 50 cents," she said. "We win sometimes but we can't afford to win really big; to win big you have to bet big.

"We only bet within our limits."