La Trobe University PhD candidate John Baker obtained the list of 99 retailers the council monitors through a freedom of information request.

Of those businesses, seven were duplications, nine were closed and 13 no longer sold tobacco.

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Another 54 businesses did not appear at all. All were licensed venues like pubs or takeaway liquor outlets.

"I was surprised by how many did not appear on the list," Mr Baker said.

However, he was not surprised the council did not keep a full list of tobacco-selling businesses.

"Councils can't send someone who is under-aged onto those premises," he said, referring to legal requirements that stop them testing whether some venues are complying with proof-of-age requirements.

It is likely that those businesses are known to state authorities in other ways, Mr Baker has conceded.

Still, councils are among the front-line groups monitoring businesses.

They have the power to investigate allegations of sales to minors and dole out fines, though they commonly use education strategies as a first resort.

Mr Baker said he had agreed to keep "Local Government X's" identity secret, though he said it was one with a relatively high proportion of smokers compared to other councils.

The council told him that its highest priority for businesses on the list was compliance with food handling practices and that its tobacco-education programs were less of a priority because of time and funding constraints.

Mr Baker has called for a state-wide overhaul to help authorities police tobacco-selling premises.

"As no form of tobacco retailer licensing system is in place in Victoria, this problem is likely to be common to many municipalities across the state," wrote in a newly published paper in academic journal Tobacco Control.

"(That is) making it difficult to accurately identify the number of retailers operating, or to determine how many retailers are receiving proper oversight by local authorities."

Quit Victoria agrees. Director Sarah White said it was more evidence of an "alarming" lack of government regulations, and that Victoria was falling behind.

"Victoria and Queensland are the only states in Australia that don't have a retail licensing scheme in place, which means retailers who are breaking the law by selling illicit tobacco or by selling cigarettes or e-cigarettes to kids are not being regularly monitored and caught," she said.

The government provides $4 million a year, through the Municipal Association of Victoria for education and enforcement of retailers.

A Victorian government spokesperson said it worked closely with the MAV to monitor retailers.

"Victorian businesses selling tobacco or e-cigarettes must comply with the Tobacco Act 1987- and retailers found guilty of non-compliance can have their right to sell tobacco and e-cigarettes suspended for a specified period," the spokesperson said.