Concerns being voiced by Pennsylvania’s highest-ranking Republican state senators over the state lottery’s newly signed management contract should have erupted publicly months ago, not in the days since the Corbett administration approved the agreement.

It was on the day of the contract-signing that top GOP senators finally, by way of a letter to the governor, raised an important issue that they should have been talking about publicly. That is the contract’s impact on the state’s casinos.

For weeks, Democratic state lawmakers have been criticizing the secrecy surrounding the pact with Britain-based Camelot Global Services, which operates the United Kingdom’s lottery. Instead of reaching across the legislative aisle to address all concerns about the contract, GOP lawmakers for weeks seemed content with charges leveled against Democrats that their concerns merely were a political maneuver aimed at discrediting Gov. Tom Corbett.

Now, after the contract-signing, GOP senators and some of their GOP colleagues in the House of Representatives have come to the realization that the new management pact might have negative implications — and their loyalty to the Republican governor prevented them from speaking up.

Whether it’s too late for their newly voiced concerns to have any impact remains to be seen.

But their concerns, as well as the Democrats’ concern about the secrecy Corbett employed about the contract provisions, have merit, since revenue from casino gambling supports the state budget, public schools, volunteer fire departments, civic development projects, local governments and the horse racing industry.

The lottery supports senior citizen programs, such as property tax rebates and prescription drug discounts.

In their letter to the governor, the GOP senators said, “Not only is this a broader expansion of gambling than has been described, but these games will directly compete against our highly regulated casinos.”

The letter asks Corbett to revise Camelot’s contract, which would allow keno to be introduced immediately and online ticket sales, as soon as 2015.

The Corbett administration contends that it has legal authority to offer such new gambling options under the current lottery law.

Legislation might be introduced to address the senators’ concerns, but they indicated that will depend on Corbett’s response.

A full public airing of the lottery-management plan should have occurred before Corbett signed the agreement. The concerns currently being voiced on both sides of the legislative aisle provide further confirmation of the dangers tied to government-by-secrecy.

GOP lawmakers cannot be absolved of blame for the situation as it currently stands, and their constituents — regardless of their gambling choice or even it they steer clear of all forms of gambling — shouldn’t allow them to forget it.