Trust general manager Ross Balloch confirmed the change yesterday, after it was revealed during a Clutha District Council committee meeting in Balclutha.
The trust expects to open a replacement for the former Hotel South Otago, or "Southy", in the next three months, renamed "The Arches".
The former hotel, built in 1959, was demolished three years ago, after the cost of earthquake strengthening was found to be uneconomical.
The Southy had included a gaming room containing 13 pokies, council staff said.
The new venue would not contain any, Mr Balloch confirmed.
"The Arches is intended as more of a family venue, and the trust has decided not to include pokies as part of its offering.
"The trust has three other venues across the district that have pokies available for customers to use," he said.
The change would mean the total number of pokies across the district would be permanently reduced, due to the council’s "sinking lid" policy, Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan said.
"Sinking lid" refers to enshrining the present number of machines as a cap, which then decreases permanently whenever machines are removed.
Mr Cadogan welcomed the change, but said more could be done to reduce the harm from gambling locally.
He queried whether machines’ coin-dispensing trays could be muffled and gaming noises reduced in volume.
"In the shearing gang days the noise would call [problem gamblers] in. Taking further measures to reduce those sounds would help those with an addiction, I believe."
