Referrals to the program, which provides counselling and further help, have more than quadrupled since its inception.

Tamworth and Armidale-based counsellor, Jake Plowes, said it has been a success so far, but there is much work to be done in terms of protecting vulnerable people.

"In the last few months our referral numbers have gone up by four times, which is amazing. And I think that's a result of the community becoming more aware of the risks of gambling harm and just gaining knowledge of the services available," Mr Plowes said.

"Gambling has shifted a lot to online methods and that's sometimes more difficult to pick up on because people can be gambling at work and they can be gambling in the privacy of their own home where people don't know it's going on.

"It's harder for the community to realise that person needs support."

A brand new three-month advertising campaign promoting GambleAware was launched in Tamworth on Tuesday, by Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson.

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He said people need to know there are options out there if it becomes a problem for themselves, a friend or family member.

The campaign will be highly visible across TV, radio and online, but Mr Anderson stopped short of saying it was an effort to counteract the barrage of gambling ads currently on the platforms.

"We're seeing one in ten gamblers have a problem with gambling, so in terms of harm minimisation we will continue to do everything we can and particularly during winter," he said.

"We're doing everything we can to provide those pathways and those opportunities to receive counselling support and quite often those who do have a problem with gambling won't come forward, so it is the loved ones who will pick up the phone."

Poker machines within the Tamworth local government (LGA) were popular again between July to December last year, gaining more than $6.18 million in net profits at hotels and a further $9.44 million in clubs, according to a report produced by Liquor and Gaming NSW.

Each hotel machine banked an average of $32,547.82, which was second highest in the New England North West behind the Gwydir-Moree Plains-Uralla region, where that figure was $42,738.31.

At clubs, the average net profit per machine in the Tamworth LGA for the same period was $18,654.07, which was third in the area behind Glen Innes-Armidale ($21,641.31) and Walgett-Moree ($19,878.74).

The highest in NSW for clubs was Albury-Greater Hume on $28,712.38 per machine, and for clubs it was Burwood-Strathfield with $86,469.15.

Director of the Office of Responsible Gambling, Natalie Wright, said while addiction transcends age, sex and stereotypes, the most at-risk demographic is young men, particularly when it comes to sports betting.

New forms of quasi-gambling are even emerging, with money being spent on perks for video games and wagers being placed on platforms such as Twitch.

Ms Wright said the new campaign will target those types of sites, and anything else at-risk gamblers are likely to see it.

"Our ads are going on TV, digital catch-up TV because we know not everyone watches TV live anymore, also through social media and radio," she said.

"And we're really targeting that to a range of people that we know need to see these ads - so parents, partners, people who might be gambling on a regular basis - so we're trying to get into that media that they consume."

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