New research has prompted organisations to accuse Australia's gambling industry of deliberately targeting First Nations people.

The Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership and the Alliance for Gambling Reform say the research, conducted by The Australia Institute, indicates areas of Australia with higher Indigenous populations have 50 per cent more poker machines.

The research highlighted indicated 16 per cent of Australians live in local government areas with more than one poker machine for every 100 people, the figure is 32 per cent for Indigenous Australians.

The research follows recent findings from the National Gambling Prevalence Study Pilot which revealed 27 per cent of First Nations Australians are experiencing gambling harm - double that of non-Indigenous Australians.

CYIPL and AGR say the poker machine oversupply in particular areas of the country amounts to Indigenous communities being deliberately targeted by the gambling industry.

Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership chief executive Kirstyne Davis said if the gambling industry is allowed to continue to targeting vulnerable Aboriginal communities it will undermine Closing the Gap efforts.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander woman said every dollar spent on gambling "is a dollar taken from the mouths of our children, from their education, and their chance of a better future".

"By targeting regions already struggling with low income, high unemployment and poor services, the industry deepens inequality and further entrenches families and children in cycles of harm," she said.

"Governments themselves are addicted to gambling revenue. If they are serious about Closing the Gap, reducing suicide, incarceration, our life expectancy - currently 20 years shorter than mainstream Australia - they cannot allow powerful vice industries like gambling to profit from and contribute to such deaths of despair."

CYIPL and AGR argue in local government areas where 10 per cent of residents or more identify as Indigenous, there is one poker machine for every 99 people, compared to one for every 148 people in other areas.

"People in these areas also lose more money to pokies - almost $700 per person, compared to 'just' $581 in areas where less than 10 per cent are Indigenous," CYIPL and AGR said in a joint statement.

"This means that LGAs with high Indigenous populations lose over $100 more per person."

In Queensland the disparity is even greater, according to CYIPL and AGR, who say annual losses in the state amount to $897 per person in areas with higher Indigenous populations.

The Alliance for Gambling Reform CEO Martin Thomas said research indicated the gambling industry was deliberately targeting Indigenous communities and the strategy was leading to higher losses and catastrophic social harm in these communities.

"Indigenous people are highly overrepresented among the numbers of problem gamblers and this is having far reaching consequences in terms of financial harm, relationship breakdown and violence, mental health, and even suicide," Mr Thomas said.

In a statement to National Indigenous Times, Gaming Technologies Association chief executive Jinesh Patel said if an electronic gaming machine (EGM) product is not approved by a regulator it does not appear in any venue.

Gaming Technologies Association, established in 1994, is the peak representative body for Australian gaming machine manufacturers and technology suppliers. Members of the GTA are not venue operators, they supply the machines and technology.

"Australia has detailed technical laws and regulations governing EGM technology and manufacturers must meet this criteria before a machine is cleared for use in Australia and all gaming machine approvals for licensed venues are determined at arms-length from industry by independent state and territory regulators," Mr Patel said.

"EGMs and games are also subject to an extensive approval and testing process with State and Territory government regulators and every aspect of every machine is governed by a range of stringent legislation, regulations and standards to ensure integrity and fairness.

"The control on placement of EGMs is not determined by manufacturers or venues but by independent regulators who have well established rules for the placement of EGMs which are in part underpinned by socio-economic considerations.

"The GTA has and will always support Australia's robust regulatory framework and welcomes government/industry collaboration as the best way to provide a safe, responsible and inclusive experience for people who like playing electronic gaming machines."

The Alliance is calling on all states and territories to implement a mandatory carded play system where people must pre-set their losses before they play so they don't lose more than they can afford.