Woolworths urged to rethink pokies: rally

Protesters are set to descend on Woolworths' Annual General Meeting (AGM) to campaign against the company's portfolio of poker machines.

The supermarket giant is holding its AGM in Sydney on Thursday where about 40 protesters are expected to rally peacefully.

According to GetUp campaigner Natalie O'Brien, Woolworths is Australia's biggest pokies owner and operator with more machines than the top five Las Vegas casinos combined.

She said the grocery giant's 12,000 gaming machines were fitted with misleading and deceptive "tricks" designed to bleed millions of dollars from vulnerable Australians.

"Woolworths trades daily on its family values, while its poker machines devastate Australian families," she said on Wednesday.

"These poker machines are designed to create addiction and Woolworths is placing them in the poorest postcodes in Australia."

Ms O'Brien said tens of thousands of Australian shoppers had signed a petition "to get the con out of poker machines" and Woolworths must heed their calls.

"At a time when Woolworth's is bleeding customers and share prices are falling, it can't afford to ignore tens of thousands of Australian shoppers calling for leadership on con-free machines," she said.

Woolworths has been contacted for comment.