Nick Xenophon started his political career under a "No Pokies" platform, but his fledgling SA Best party is taking a policy of fewer pokies to the March 17 South Australian election.

He said he now wanted to reduce poker machine numbers by half in hotels which currently have 10 or more over the next five years.

Mr Xenophon said his target would be to cut the numbers in hotels and clubs from about 12,100 to 8,000.

SA Best is keen to cap each spin at $1, remove EFTPOS access near machines and ban political donations from the gambling industry.

"Our policies will be a key negotiating plank to keep the next government of [South Australia] accountable on such an important issue, should we have the seats in parliament to influence that change," Mr Xenophon said.

Xenophon takes aim at donors

The SA Best leader accused the major parties of being beholden to the poker machine lobby.

"The fact that the pokies barons and the Australian Hotels Association (AHA) are making huge donations to the major parties, and the Australian Conservatives, and unleashing a massive campaign against SA Best indicates they are worried at the prospect of real reform," he said.

The AHA has been publicly campaigning against the SA Best leader with warnings that jobs would be lost under his proposals.

AHA chief executive Ian Horne said the SA Best plan was also not costed.

"To address the issue of problem gambling by ripping the guts out of an entire industry, giving up thousands of jobs and hurting so many South Australian-owned businesses is completely reckless and unwarranted," he said.

But Mr Xenophon said policy cost was not the key measure.

"We can't have the budget bottom line being balanced off the backs of the vulnerable and addicted, and that's my bottom line," he said.

SA Best said its pokies policy differed from Tasmanian Labor's pledge to ban machines entirely because of the licence structure which applies in South Australia.

South Australian Greens MLC Tammy Franks said Mr Xenophon was being put to the test about how committed he was to getting rid of pokies, and the Greens were campaigning for an end to poker machines in all clubs and hotels, with only the casino to be allowed to retain them.

Reverend Tim Costello from the Alliance for Gambling Reform said the damage to the community had to stop, whichever political party achieved that.

"Australia's blind spot is pokies, like America's blind spot is guns, because we have 20 per cent of the world's pokies," he said.

Reverend Peter Sandeman from welfare group Anglicare SA agreed something needed to change, and said SA Best might achieve that.

"This is a measured and achievable policy — it rolls back poker machines from the smaller venues via a buyback scheme, it offers certainty for the larger venues by setting a seven-year licence period," he said.

The Liberal Party said Mr Xenophon had abandoned his one principle by adopting his current policy position.