The federal government has formerly approached Clubs ACT to trial the controversial pokies reforms and will shortly announce a new deal with Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie on problem gambling.
Minister for Families Jenny Macklin held talks with Clubs ACT head Jeff House on Friday night and offered undisclosed financial assistance to get the trial underway.
Last night Prime Minister Julie Gillard and Mr Wilkie, who is seeking pokies reform, continued to negotiate over the mandatory pre-commitment reform package.
Ms Gillard this week has been slowly backing away from the package, which she had promised Mr Wilkie in return for his support for her minority government in 2010.
She is due to speak to the media in Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.
Two other key independents have signalled they won't support Mr Wilkie's push.
NSW independent Tony Windsor said other options should be considered.
'If there are other ways of addressing the issue lets have a look at them,' Mr Windsor told ABC Radio on Saturday.
'If I was a betting man, I would say that the reforms in terms of mandatory pre-commitment are probably dead.'
Meanwhile, independent MP Rob Oakeshott says he supports a trial before the technology is rolled out.
Australian Greens spokesman Richard Di Natale said a trial was a 'gutless substitute for real action'.
Clubs ACT head Jeff House said no formal agreement on a trial had been reached yet and he would keep the terms of the offer secret until his members had received it.
'Having initially reviewed the offer, I regard it as a serious and genuine offer and it does address the pre-conditions that have been previously stated,' Mr House said in a statement.
'A trial to determine its effectiveness and impact on the financial well-being of clubs is essential.'
Under the deal struck with Mr Wilkie, the minority government had to legislate by May 8 to require all gamblers to preset a limit on how much they could lose on high-stakes poker machines.
Alternatively, high-bet poker machines could be reprogrammed to cap losses at $120 an hour, rather than $1200 an hour, and low-bet machines would not require pre-commitment cards.
Ms Macklin will address the media in Melbourne along with the prime minister on Saturday.
Mr Wilkie will also hold a press conference in Hobart.
He has vowed to block the Gillard government's proposal to cut private health care rebates if it reneges on his pokies reforms.
