RALEIGH, N.C. -- NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said yesterday he would have no problem if slot-machine revenues were used to the Penguins' benefit.

"It's the way Allegheny County and the state of Pennsylvania want to finance an arena," he told reporters. "The county and state had no problem publicly financing a football stadium and a separate baseball stadium. It's really a question of how the local authorities see fit to accomplish that goal."

Mario Lemieux, the Penguins' owner, two weeks ago cited slots as the "probably the last chance we have" to secure major funding for a new arena in Pittsburgh. If a financing plan is not in place soon, he warned, he will put the 37-year-old franchise up for sale.

Slots legislation likely will come to a vote Tuesday or Wednesday in Harrisburg. Sources say it could include a provision that would distribute $15 million to $20 million in annual slots revenue to the local Sports and Exhibition Authority. If that happens, the next step for the Penguins would be to negotiate terms of financing and operating a new arena with the SEA, which would own the building.

The SEA is a joint authority of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. It owns PNC Park, Heinz Field and Mellon Arena, among other facilities.

Bettman, who two years ago allowed the Calgary Flames to apply for a casino as part of their arena, went so far as to say that he would not mind if the Penguins were awarded a license to build a combined arena and casino. That has been discussed by some state legislators, sources say, though it is not considered as likely.

"Gambling has become so pervasive, through lotteries and legalized casinos," Bettman said. "Our issue really relates to whether or not there's a sports book. If there's no sports book, I don't think it's presented much of an issue for any of our leagues."

Bettman added that he would seek a clear separation between the arena and casino.

"I don't think we want them on the concourse," he said, referring to slots. "But the fact of the matter is that there are lots of multipurpose facilities adjacent to operations that do other things."

The Steelers and Pirates recently voiced objections to a proposal for a stand-alone slots parlor on the North Shore near their stadiums. Steelers president Art Rooney II worried that illegal sports betting could take root, and Pirates chief executive officer Kevin McClathy called it inconsistent with a family atmosphere.

The Penguins have expressed no such objections to the concept of an arena-casino, but they also have not been aggressive in pursuing it.