Topeka ? With a gubernatorial task force preparing to wrap up public hearings, its chairman says it does not make sense to him to use expanded gambling to bolster the state’s dog and horse racing industry.

Topeka attorney Tom Wright said Friday that the task force’s interest was “exclusively with the state and what benefits the state the most.” He also said he believed one, two or even three casinos may be financially viable in Kansas, but no more than that.

Wright cautioned during an interview with radio’s Mid-America News Network in Wichita that he was speaking for himself, not the entire task force, which has its last public hearing set for Monday in Junction City.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed the task force earlier this year, hoping it would present a single proposal backed by all supporters of expanded gambling. Sebelius hopes such an expansion will raise new dollars for the state.

Throughout the past decade, the owners of the state’s dog and horse racing tracks unsuccessfully have sought permission to add slot machines and other electronic gambling devices. They argue that the new gambling will protect Kansas jobs and keep Kansans from going to Missouri casinos.

But Wright said: “That doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I don’t know that that industry, as opposed to any other industry, needs to have the state’s support to that extent.”

He also said: “Our interest is exclusively with the state and what benefits the state the most rather than any individual group or organization.”

The state operates a lottery, permits parimutuel betting on dog and horse races, and permits nonprofit groups to operate bingo parlors. In addition, four Indian tribes operate casinos in northeast Kansas.

Wright said he believed the task force would present two or three proposals to Sebelius for her review.