Pardon us while we explain to a Portland state senator a few facts about the heavy lifting of economic development around here. The sweat-producing stuff he might not see from his prettified downtown. We aren’t talking about the child’s play of his city’s port development, international trade or biomedical science. We mean the economic bedrock of the ages: Racino.

Sen. Ethan Strimling of Portland says he wants to bar automated teller machines from the racino planned for Bangor because, “Allowing gamblers to use ATMs, credit and debit cards directly for gambling removes one of the last remaining checks on compulsive gambling. …”

In Portland, some of dainty sensibilities may consider this a problem. In Bangor, it’s an economic-development strategy. This city needs to persuade residents to transfer money from their bank accounts to slot machines. That’s a tough job, but it is the basis of the gambling tradition, a tradition Bangor is proud to embrace. Restrict customers from easily tapping their accounts and you’ve attacked the heart of that tradition. What’s next, forcing them to get permission from their accountant before playing the slots?

How could racino infrastructure be built, hundreds of people employed, the city paid its cut and any profit remain for the owners unless ample cash was at hand? Think of the amount that must be lost each and every operating day to make this enterprise successful. That doesn’t happen all by itself; that takes access to cash.

The fact that some people are addicted to gambling is not an issue. The gaming industry has already said it wants people to gamble responsibly. The same way the alcoholic beverage industry wants people to drink responsibly. Maybe more so. And as the executive director of the Gambling Control Board, Robert Welch, says, pushing an ATM away from the bright lights and security of the racino increases the chances of robbery: Simply put, people could lose their money.

While Portland props up what it calls its “economy” by exporting global products and services, a certain can-do city two hours to the north is building a strong foundation by sticking close to home, by counting on its residents and their ATM withdrawals. That, Sen. Strimling, is the Bangor way.