A single new casino run by two Kansas Indian tribes may be all the new gambling the state needs.

A possible ban on gay marriage and civil unions still was alive in the Kansas Legislature Friday, and there was a chance a measure that would continue to allow Sunday liquor sales in some cities and counties might be revived, but the door apparently has been closed for this year on any additional gambling operations in the state.

A few cities that see casino gambling as a tourism and economic development opportunity probably are deeply disappointed, but many other Kansans are relieved.

The plan proposed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius would have allowed up to five large state-owned casinos, slot machines at dog and horse tracks in the state and up to five slot machines at each of the state’s 240 fraternal and veterans’ organization halls. To many Kansans that sounded like a lot of gambling — way more gambling than Kansas needs.

But once the plan got to the Legislature, it grew even bigger, with the addition of bowling alleys and other recreation venues to the list of places where slot machines would be allowed. Opponents of the bill, which was rejected by the Senate Thursday, refused to pare back the slot machine sites apparently because they believed making the measure broader would ensure its defeat. The strategy worked, leading to a decisive 26-14 defeat of the bill in the Senate.

While state legislators have debated gambling issues, two Kansas Indian tribes have moved forward on a plan for a new casino near the Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County. Members of the Kickapoo Tribe and the Sac and Fox Nation are finalizing a deal to purchase 30 acres at the site. Once the sale is complete, they will seek approval from federal officials to build a 250-room destination resort hotel and casino.

The tribes also would have to reach an agreement with the Kansas governor to operate the casino, but a representative of Sebelius’ office said the negotiations are progressing and “it is realistic” that an agreement could be reached this summer.

The Wyandotte Tribe of Oklahoma also has expressed interest in a casino near the Speedway, but dealings with that tribe, which operated a questionable gambling venue in downtown Kansas City, Kan., have been troublesome. The Kickapoo and Sac and Fox tribes both have casinos that have operated in the state for some time without significant problems. At least one of those casinos may be closed if the Wyandotte County project is approved.

Although the $40 million to $60 million the Indian casino would contribute to state coffers each year is substantially below the $250 million the governor estimated her proposal would produce, it may be the best option for the state. Kansas would have been the first state in the nation to get into the casino business, and it’s unknown whether the state would be able to attract private investors to own and operate the hotels and facilities that would have to accompany the state-owned casino games.

The tribes’ plan for a single destination casino certainly is a more moderate option than the plan proposed by the governor. And it may be all the additional gambling Kansas needs or can support. It’s probably just as well to give legislators at least another year to consider whether a major expansion of slot machines and casinos is in the best interests of the state.