The South Australian senator, who was elected on a "No Pokies" platform, will speak at the Gambling Impact Society's annual Responsible Gambling Awareness Week seminar tomorrow.

Also speaking will be Throsby MP Stephen Jones, a member of Parliament's Joint Select Committee on Gambling Reform.

The seminar comes as licensed clubs say they face financial ruin from the costs of installing the pre-commitment technology.

Clubs NSW has released figures stating that some Illawarra clubs face costs of more than $3 million to update their machines.

GIS NSW founder Kate Roberts said Wollongong had been chosen for the seminar because the area had "a high distribution of electronic gaming machines".

She said licensed clubs, where pokies are concentrated in the Illawarra, had lost their roots and had become "suburban casinos" too heavily reliant on poker machine revenue.

"The social origins of clubs has been lost," she said. "I think you have to question the whole non-profit status of clubs now.

"The focus of the venues has changed dramatically regarding their non-profit status."

The claims drew a fiery response from Clubs NSW media manager Jeremy Bath.

"Kate's regular attacks on clubs are really just an attack on their staff, their directors and their 300,000 members," he said. "Even Nick Xenophon and Andrew Wilkie acknowledge the positive work clubs do in the community.

"If Kate can't see just how important Illawarra clubs are to local charities, local sporting teams and the local economy, then quite frankly she is living on another planet."

Clubs NSW says that Wests Illawarra Leagues Club will face a $3.9 million bill to install pre-commitment technology, Shellharbour Workers' Club $3.5 million, Dapto Leagues $3.1 million and Woonona Bulli RSL $2.1 million.

Under the pre-commitment scheme, a condition of independent Andrew Wilkie's support for the Gillard government, gamblers will have to register how much they are prepared to lose in a session before they can play.

Clubs NSW chairman and Steelers Club director, Peter Newell said any pre-commitment scheme should be voluntary.

"One thing is for sure; you don't help a problem gambler by giving them a gambling card," he said. "That's just madness."

Tomorrow's responsible gambling seminar is being held at the University of Wollongong's Innovation Campus.

The seminar is on from 10am-3.15pm and costs $50.