Defeating the racetrack/casino in Calais is a pyrrhic victory for Maine’s anti-gambling advocates, as the regulatory weaknesses trumpeted during their successful anti-racino campaign still, sadly, exist.

There’s nothing pleasurable about the tribal racino’s rejection. Calais and Washington County are mired in economic depression; this facility would have helped. Its defeat didn’t stem from disagreement or ignorance about the region’s economic troubles, but rather serious doubts about whom it would have really benefited.

Too many important questions about racino revenues existed, largely because Maine’s regulations on gambling are vague and powerless. When CasinosNo! crowed, over and over, about the complete unaccountability of where racino-generated funds are spent, it was absolutely right.

But the racino’s greatest flaw wasn’t the Passamaquoddy tribe’s, or Calais’ or Washington County’s fault. They needed the economic shot in the arm more than anywhere in Maine. It was the state’s fault for allowing the primary attacks against Question 1 to rightly criticize how gambling in Maine is woefully under-regulated.

The vote was still close, though. Tuesday’s results indicate voters could, someday soon, find the pull of the slots irresistible. Anti-gambling voices and lawmakers should now consider whether to risk another facility’s approval under this weak regulatory environment, or to work to strengthen oversight.

We call for the latter. There are immediate opportunities – work sessions on two gambling bills, LD 1879 and LD 1924, were scheduled today in Augusta, before the Legislature’s Legal and Veterans Affairs committee.

LD 1879 would expand the number of slot machines allowed in Maine and use slot revenue to fund, among other things, expansion of passenger and freight rail service. LD 1924 would implement recommendations from a task force now reviewing slot-machine taxation, likely due later this year.

Both could grow the influence of gambling revenue, by adding to its recipient base and, perhaps, relaxing the taxation rules governing its collection. This influence is already felt in Augusta, as an earlier state effort to increase its take from Penn National Gaming was easily deflected by a construction shutdown in Bangor and rolling protest.

Gambling has power. But voters also have muscle – they stopped its expansion. Yet these power displays only illustrate the state’s weakness: it’s vulnerable to gambling revenue, and perceived as giving away the store to get it.

Ultimately, this will be more damaging to Maine than even 100 racinos in Calais.