Councillors voted at their meeting on Wednesday night to review the policy after a string of applications for more poker machines in the city.

The council also supported Sandhurst ward councillor James Reade’s calls to lobby the state government to reduce Bendigo’s poker machine cap.

The municipality has 547 poker machines.

The state government’s cap for the city is more than 700.

Punters injected almost $42 million into Bendigo poker machines in the 11 months to June.

The city’s poker machines swallowed more than $44.2 million during the 2009-10 financial year.

Cr Reade told the Bendigo Advertiser it was time the state government listened to Bendigo residents.

“What we are saying – it was passed unanimously – we don’t want any more pokies,” he said.

“I think the council is powerless to what we can do.

“We need the state government to start listening to the community – we don’t want more.”

The council voted against supporting a request for 30 more poker machines at Bendigo Stadium last month.

The decision came after the council abandoned its fight against the installation of poker machines at the Foundry Hotel.

The council had voted against the Foundry’s application but the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal gave the hotel the green light.

The council could have taken VCAT’s ruling to the Supreme Court.

Strathfieldsaye ward councillor Keith Reynard and Kangaroo Flat ward councillor Barry Lyons spoke in support of the review.

Cr Reynard said it was “now prudent to review the policy so we can

improve it”.