Xenophon critical of move on pokies

Giving gamblers access to cash inside South Australia's pokie venues is a cynical grab for extra tax revenue, independent Senator Nick Xenophon says.

Under changes passed by state parliament this week gamblers will be able to use EFTPOS machines inside poker machine venues instead of having to leave supervised gaming areas.

The state government says the change will allow staff at venues to better monitor people and intervene if someone appears to be drawing on excessive amounts of cash.

"With EFTPOS machines, there's a level of human interaction," Police Minister Tony Piccolo told AAP on Wednesday.

"In venues, there are people trained to deal with problem gamblers and we think this is an effective way to help stop people from drawing out more money than they should."

But Senator Xenophon, who first entered politics on as an anti-pokies candidate, says the changes will make matters worse for problem gamblers.

"This is all about revenue grab by the state government which the opposition has been completely complicit in because they are eyeing the pokies tax dollars as well," he said.

"Pokies taxes are one of the most cynical out there. Poker machine taxes are a tax on the poor and vulnerable."