Australia has the most video poker machines located in its communities than any other country on earth, according to a new report.

The Australia Institute report "Pokies Pub Test" (.pdf link) says most of the world's poker machines are in casinos or other such dedicated gambling venues.  Only about a quarter million are located outside casinos, but the vast majority of them - 183,000 - are in Australia.

"Australia's large number of poker machines and our unusual decision to allow them in pubs and clubs make us a global anomaly," writes co-author Bill Browne, "In terms of machines per person, Australia is right up there with casino-states like Monaco, Macau, and Caribbean island nations."

The pokies are inhaling money that would otherwise go into the economy and create jobs.  "Last financial year, Tasmanians lost $110m on poker machines in pubs and clubs," said Tasmanian Labor leader Rebecca White.  "Economic modelling has shown that it could provide an additional 180 jobs in Tasmania if only half that money is spent in the community."

White says if Labor comes to power in the March election, it would phase out more than 2,300 poker machines from pubs and clubs to curb their "devastating effect on people and their families".  That would make Tasmania the second state behind Western Australia to ditch pokies.

Tasmania's Liberal government plans to cut the number of pokies in the state by 150 by 2023, claiming Labor's plan would hurt businesses.  But the Australia Institute says the loss of tax revenue from a ban on hotel and club poker machines would be negligible and could be offset by adopting higher tax rates for poker machines in casinos.