The three bidders for a Pittsburgh casino have one last chance to make a good impression, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

The licensing hearings being held by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board today and tomorrow in Harrisburg are the final leg of a marathon that began almost a year ago when Forest City Enterprises, Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., and PITG Gaming LLC filed applications to win the coveted Pittsburgh slot-machine casino.

All three have prepared $1 billion casino and redevelopment plans and spent millions trying to win public and political support, all with an eye toward swaying the seven-member gaming control board -- four appointed by state legislative leaders and three by the governor.

And the two days of hearings give the bidders the opportunity to make one final sales pitch for the casino, one likely to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue each year. No wonder Isle of Capri and PITG Gaming intend to make their Pittsburgh properties the flagship for their chains.

The board anticipates awarding the license Dec. 20.

"This is the shootout at the OK Corral," said Joseph Weinert, vice president of Spectrum Gaming Group, an industry consultant. "This is it. You take your best shot and sit nervously for a month hoping for the best."

"This is the last chance to address the board, to submit evidence into the record, to make your case. There's no benefit to holding anything back at this point," added Bob Oltmanns, a spokesman for PITG Gaming LLC, which is proposing to build a casino on the North Shore.

The last time board members met the bidders was in April during hearings in Pittsburgh to take public testimony. At that time they simply listened.

This time it will be different.

The licensing hearings will have a courtroom feel to them, with all witnesses being sworn in. Board members also will be able to question the applicants and their witnesses and call upon their own expert witnesses and gaming board staff members for information and testimony.

Each of the three bidders will get up to three hours to make their pitches, answer questions, shoot holes in their competitors' plans and try to rebuff perceived weaknesses in their own proposals.

With the Pittsburgh license perhaps the most lucrative in the state, Mr. Weinert isn't expecting any of the bidders to hold their fire.

"There's a lot at stake here and just as this process in Pittsburgh has resembled a political campaign, right now I think you're going to get into so-called negative advertising," he said.

In pre-hearing filings, two of the bidders already have signaled their intent to present "comparative evidence," a fancy way of saying they want to pick at their competitors' warts.

According to its filing, Forest City, which is teaming with Harrah's Entertainment on a proposed Station Square casino, plans to compare Harrah's casino earnings against Isle of Capri Casinos or those owned by Don Barden, who heads PITG Gaming.

Of course, in each instance, Harrah's revenues are higher. At the same time, Isle of Capri and PITG Gaming will have a chance to rebut the data. Isle of Capri intends to do so and PITG Gaming is prepared to do so if asked by the board.

"We're going to vigorously defend all of the comparative data out there," Isle of Capri spokesman Les McMackin said.

Forest City officials declined comment on all aspects of their presentation.

PITG Gaming also plans to dispute "erroneous misstatements" made by the volunteer Pittsburgh Gaming Task Force concerning potential traffic problems at its North Shore site next to the Carnegie Science Center. It described the gaming task force as a "local ad hoc political panel organized by ex-Mayor Tom Murphy."

It plans to produce its own traffic expert to show that the North Shore site is the "most trouble-free of the three alternatives before the board in terms of parking, traffic and transit."

Not to be outdone or perhaps buffaloed by any of the bidders, the gaming board also intends to have a consultant it hired address traffic issues involving the North Shore and Station Square casinos and Isle of Capri's in the Hill District near Mellon Arena.

Traffic has been a big issue locally. The gaming task force not only has raised questions about the North Shore site, its consultant maintains that Forest City has "woefully underestimated" the traffic jams its Station Square casino could cause on Carson Street.

Both PITG Gaming and Forest City have updated their traffic plans in advance of the hearings, and Forest City also lists a national transportation consultant among its potential witnesses.

Another likely area for scrutiny involves revenue projections.

Forest City has estimated that the Harrah's Station Square casino could generate $617.7 million a year in slot machine revenue. That number is far higher than projections of two industry consultants, which ranged from a low of $211 million a year to a high of $369.2 million, and the two other bidders, whose estimates are in the $400 million to $500 million range.

"I think that will be questioned. Revenue projections were a topic for questioning at all hearings so far," gaming board spokesman Doug Harbach said. He noted that slot machine revenues are one of the key elements board members will consider in awarding the license.

Isle of Capri and PITG Gaming representatives said their goal going into the hearings is simply to convince the gaming board their proposals are the best for the city and the state.

"We're just continuing to reinforce the things we've been talking about since April, which is the strength of our location, the quality of the facility, the ability to deliver the optimum revenue for the commonwealth and the least impact on traffic and transportation," Mr. Oltmanns said.

"Our goal is to solidify our position as the best plan in Pittsburgh," Mr. McMackin said.

One potential witness for Isle of Capri is new Penguins owner Jim Balsillie. He has endorsed the Isle of Capri plan, which includes a pledge of $290 million upfront for a new arena for his team and other events.

The two other bidders have each promised $7.5 million a year for 30 years toward the arena, if awarded the license, as part of Gov. Ed Rendell's alternative funding plan.

The Pittsburgh hearings follow those held last week for the five applicants for two Philadelphia casinos.