Local governments have argued for some time that community concerns about new poker machine venues, or venues adding more pokies, are not being listened to by the state's gaming regulator.

Councils have been unable to make strong contributions to the process before the Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation.

The Andrews government has asked a committee to examine ways of improving the process to include social impacts and council concerns.

With council elections across Victoria next month, the Alliance for Gambling Reform has polled more than 300 local government candidates about their views on pokies.

Ninety-eight per cent supported giving local councils the "proper authority" over pokies locations in their communities.

Ninety-nine per cent supported the removal of "misleading" poker machine game features.

The survey was emailed to 1756 candidates, with 853 opening the email and 337 completing the poll.

Billboards paid for by local councils that support reform are being put up across Melbourne. The billboards describe pokies as misleading, deceptive and deadly.

Every year, more than a $1 billion flows into state coffers from pokies taxes. Victorians lost more than $2.5 billion on the machines last year.

Alliance for Gambling Reform spokesman Tim Costello said state laws had turned the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal into a "giant rubber stamp" for pokies applications.

"Victorian councils have clearly had enough of being overruled by the state, and overrun with poker machines," Mr Costello said.

"Local governments get none of the revenue, and yet they are expected to spend billions of dollars cleaning up the shocking mess made by this misleading and addictive product.

"Successive state governments have gamed the system to ensure local governments are powerless to protect their communities from poker machines. But these overwhelming results show the current situation won't be tolerated after the election."

The alliance has backed Maurice Blackburn legal action against Crown Casino and pokies manufacturer Aristocrat which accuses the two of misleading and deceptive conduct under Consumer Law because of the design and operation of the machines.