Southwestern Pennsylvania must come together as a community to demand that slot machine profits fund a new arena, Auditor General Jack Wagner said yesterday during the taping of KD/PG Sunday Edition.

In an interview after the taping, he said Mayor Bob O'Connor and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato have been "receptive, but not aggressively receptive" to that idea.

"They are critical in terms of being proactive," said Mr. Wagner, of Beechview. "I've heard comments such as, we need to look at the proposals and see what the Gaming [Control Board] thinks. I'm not that patient.

"Given the fact that [the Penguins] can leave legally in the spring of [2007], I think we're in the 11th hour."

Kevin Evanto, spokesman for Mr. Onorato, said later that the chief executive has called for a slots-funded arena.

Mr. O'Connor agreed that the eventual casino owner "should do whatever is possible to help build a new arena."

Mr. Wagner said he was not endorsing any of the three competing proposals to build the lone slots casino slated for Pittsburgh.

He said a proposal by Forest City Enterprises and Harrah's Entertainment to build a casino and housing at Station Square may have the inside track, because it combines high tax revenue with experience in gambling and tourism. That proposal does not include arena funding.

He gave a proposal by the Penguins and Isle of Capri Casinos to build a casino and arena in the Hill District "no greater than a one-in-three chance" of prevailing when the board makes its decision, expected by early 2007.

The third contestant is Detroit businessman Don Barden, who would build a casino on the North Side.

Mr. Onorato, too, "wants to see the other two applicants step up to the plate" and agree to fund an arena, Mr. Evanto said. He added that the executive and mayor would unveil an alternative arena funding proposal "by the end of March."

Mr. Wagner said the fact that Isle of Capri would pay a $50 million fee to the state, plus build a $290 million arena, suggests that the license to build a casino in the city is worth $340 million. Based on that, anyone who gets it "could easily make a commitment for $150 million" toward an arena.

The Gaming Control Board doesn't have to heed local officials' opinions, but Mr. Wagner said they could have "a powerful influence."

He said loss of the Penguins and failure to build a new arena would be politically damaging to Mr. O'Connor, Mr. Onorato and Gov. Ed Rendell.