Every once in a while, lately more often than a full moon, some one or some group takes a swipe at Scarborough Downs while ranting against gambling in general.

Thus the Downs, Maine’s best harness racing track, comes under crude and unfair implication because of Penn National’s rousing success with a houseful of slot machines in Bangor.

Yes, wagering on horse racing is gambling. But so is that which attracts full houses wherever bingo games light up the evening, the buses that run daily to the bright lights of Foxwoods and Mohegan and the growing number of online poker sites, eager to get acquainted with your credit card.

Our TVs are infiltrated daily by the exhortation to play the Maine Lottery and Megabucks, followed, of course, by the admonition to play sensibly. How in heck do you “play” a lottery ticket? Or is that aimed at the customer spending too much against long odds?

Our governor has vowed to veto any bill even smelling of gambling, yet he invited us to fall under the lure of Powerball and its multi-millions. Eying the booming success of Penn National’s racino effort in Bangor, opportunists within state government proposed to increase the state’s share of the slot machines’ take. Penn National wisely stopped construction of the expanded site in Bangor until the money-grabbing idea was scrapped.

Once the expanded racino becomes operational on Bangor’s Main Street, the state’s take will increase and, equally important, the harness racing industry will receive a deserved boost in all aspects.

Scarborough Downs, now in its 57th year, is regarded as the fastest New England half-mile track. The attractive layout features a full schedule of in-season live racing, simulcasting from major tracks across the country, dining services and ample parking. Excellent maintenance, management and staffing has kept it in the forefront of harness racing in the state.

Harness racing has been with us for more than 100 years. The mainstay of the trotters and pacers in this state has been the agricultural fairs, where afternoon and evening programs have drawn thousands to the promise of pari-mutuel betting. It is indeed gambling, but with several combinations and options available to the bettor. The different gaits of the trotters and pacers makes it an interesting event to watch and the matching ability of horse and driver is a stellar example of training and form.

Opposition to gambling in Maine casts an unfair shadow over harness racing. Wagering, in its many forms, is inherent to many of us and goes on from casinos across the country to the weekend poker games among friends in a multitude of private homes. Saying that Mainers don’t gamble is about as far off the edge as you can get.

My own experience with harness racing has been reined in by economic limitations, but the fun of a different challenge has been there at every venue.

Some years ago, at Union Fair, a classic among summer offerings, a racing fan in the small trackside grandstand once told me of a local individual who raced his horse only at the fair. Because the fellow won on his local track, the confidant suggested that I bet on him. I didn’t and the local gentleman, as predicted, won his race – my usual fate at the races.

There was a time, however, when luck,or false expertise, happened on my side. Thanks to scouting horses at both Bangor and Skowhegan fairs, I became a so-called big winner.

It was real cool basking in the glory of picking the right horses and for a couple of days, I imagined myself a hero in the eyes of my co-workers. Rather than returning to the racetrack, I visited a golf course and purchased a new set of golf clubs.

Naturally, I thought my run of expertise at the betting window would continue. Although it was fun, it never quite happened again.

When you visit Scarborough Downs and soak up the atmosphere of the best in Maine, remember that we all deserve to have fun. And the good folks there will help you enjoy yourself.