A proposal to rejuvenate harness racing by offering slot machines at the Bangor Raceway should be debated absent the horses. This is a plan to put a small casino in Bangor, with some of the money it generates possibly being used for a variety of good causes, including the rescuing of harness racing. But the question – the point that needs state and local permission through referendum – is the casino, and if Bangor is serious about this, it will look broadly for the best possible operator to make the case to voters.

The Bangor City Council is expected to decide soon whether to award tentative developer status to Hawaiian businessman Shawn Scott to develop this idea. Racino, as the combination of racing and casinos is called, is supposed to rescue the harness-racing business from a lack of interest by the public by luring people into the casino, from where they could watch the racing.

Mr. Scott has operated similar ventures elsewhere and has a track record that councilors should take seriously.

But the council should proceed slowly and it may well want something very different than what an operator has to offer. Mr. Scott’s brochure for his venture, for instance, says the new entertainment complex will include “a first class slot machine Casino Hotel, a multiplex movie theatre, shopping area, great restaurants and … a state-of-the-art Sports Arena.” (Note to councilors: Cruise the Internet for casino information and you will find that just about everything associated with it is either “first class” or “state of the art.”) One of the benefits of a casino is supposed to be more customers for local businesses, but it wouldn’t be nearly as effective at doing that if it duplicated on site existing local businesses.

And it is important for councilors to keep in mind a large reason for supporting gambling at the raceway. The city has known for several years that it needs a new civic center and auditorium, yet neither it nor the state have the money to build a new complex. Would racino? Possibly, but so large an undertaking needs a lot more research than what has occurred to date and a lot more specifics about what the costs and benefits would be.

Besides the state and local referenda, any casino proposal would also face a mostly hostile Legislature and a governor certain he is opposed. They would be influential in both votes and to attract their support, the city would need more persuasive arguments than what has been presented so far. It is most likely to find those arguments among the experts in this field, meaning it needs more bids, more interest and more information about making this venture successful. And if the response is that no one else is interested, that should tell councilors something, too.