HARRISBURG -- Within 18 months, two Delaware Indian tribes hope to open limited casinos somewhere in Pennsylvania and have trained their sights on Pittsburgh's North Shore and a spot in Lawrence County.

The North Shore casino would be near the stadiums, while Lawrence County's would be along either Interstate 79 or state Route 60.

The Delaware Nation and the Delaware Tribe, both based in Oklahoma, once called Pennsylvania home and are scouting for potential development sites as they seek a permit to operate what's known as "Class II" casinos -- the kind that allow bingo, poker and blackjack -- the tribes announced this week.

The 10,000-member Delaware Tribe could open a casino sooner, according to a tribe spokesman, because it has special privileges under federal law. Since it is a "restored" tribe, having lost then regained its federal status, it only has to buy a site in Pennsylvania, then place the land in a trust. The restored land would then qualify as a gaming site.

The Delaware Nation, on the other hand, would have to prove it has land rights. Earlier this year, the Delaware Nation announced that it planned to file a land claim to win back 315 acres in Northampton County. It says the land was taken from the tribe two centuries ago.

Under federal law, tribes that meet certain qualifications are eligible to open gaming sites. Those casinos don't require state approval and generally aren't subject to state taxes.

The tribes announced that they've hired Binswanger, an international real-estate company, to search for potential sites.

Spokesman Kevin Feeley said that the Delawares can pursue federal approval of a Class II casino whether or not a slot machine bill is passed by the state Legislature.

He also said the Indians are interested in opening more than one casino -- "whatever the market will bear."

Gov. Ed Rendell and some legislators want to legalize slot parlors and slot machines at racetracks as part of a budget plan to reduce school property taxes by up to $1 billion statewide. But so far, Rendell has been less than warm to the idea of sharing that pie with Indian entrepreneurs, noting that neither of the tribes, in his opinion, meets the federal government's "thresholds."

"I have yet to see anybody who comes close to meeting the threshold where a federal court would require us to accept Indian gaming," he said yesterday.

At least one senator has been more accommodating. This month, state Sen. Vince Fumo, D-Philadelphia, said that he was drafting a bill that would give licenses to the Delaware tribes, but only if they agreed to be treated as any other gambling concern.

Feeley, who was a spokesman for Rendell when he was Philadelphia's mayor, said Binswanger will rank about five sites, including the Pittsburgh and Lawrence County locations, in order of preference and report back to the Delawares within 60 days.

The three other sites are in the Philadelphia area.