The organisation CARE said restrictions on the amount of money you can play each time was a "no brainer" and a "much safer option".
Currently you can bet up to £100 every time you play a game on the machines, which can be as often as every 20 seconds.
Some local councils have cut that maximum to £50 unless a person registers with the store.
Two peers have written open letters urging the government to take action to regulate the machines.
Lord Clement-Jones and Baroness Jowell agreed more had to be done to tackle the problem.
CEO of CARE, Nola Leach, told Premier's News Hour those who want to gamble should be able to do so safely: "This is manifestly not a safe way of gambling.
"People are getting into incredible levels of debt, there are suicides recorded, there are effects on the family and this is meant to be a government that is family friendly."
She suggested the government may be unwilling to act because it would lose money: "There's no doubt that 1.6 billion pounds are made from fixed odd betting machines.
"They produce a nice slice for the treasury. I think it's a no brainer if we're talking about caring for those who are poor that we need to do something about it."
Premier has approached the Department for Culture Media and Sport for comment.
Nola Leach speaking to Premier's Marcus Jones:
