Shareholder activist and former journalist Stephen Mayne will run for a Victorian seat in the Senate as an Independent candidate.

He will campaign on an anti-gambling platform and has vowed to direct his preferences to whichever party takes the toughest action against poker machines.

"I don't think I'll get elected, but I think that my preferences will decide who wins the sixth spot," he said.

Mr Mayne has previously campaigned for seats in the Victorian and Federal Parliaments, but it his first bid for a Senate seat.

He is currently a City of Manningham Councillor.

He says there is rising community concern about the impact of poker machines and successive Governments have failed to act.

"We lose $3 billion a year, Julia Gillard in her own seat has the biggest pokies venue in the state, where punters lose $20 million a year," he said.

"The Labor Party itself runs four pokies venues in Canberra."

Mr Mayne says independent South Australian Senator, Nick Xenophon, is a "hero".

"I think what he does is fantastic and I'm keen to support him, I hope he can support me in this campaign," he said.