HARRISBURG -- Rep. Bill DeWeese, who is expected to become speaker of the House in January, is drafting a bill that would legalize poker, blackjack and other table games in Pennsylvania's gambling halls.

Under current law, only slot machines are allowed in Pennsylvania's gambling parlors. The first slots parlor, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, opened Nov. 12. No others have opened yet.

Mr. DeWeese's chief of staff, Michael Manzo, dismissed suggestions that table games could be more harmful than slot machines.

"There is no practical difference between putting $20 in a slot machine and $20 on a blackjack table," Manzo said.

Manzo said permitting table games would allow Pennsylvania's gambling halls to compete better with other states, such as West Virginia, which is considering the same thing. He said allowing table games would generate more money for property tax relief, the reason that slot machines were legalized in the first place.

"It used to be that slots made up 85 percent of (a casino's) business. But that's no longer the case," Mr. Manzo said.

Gambling proponents say games such as poker and blackjack are needed to attract younger, wealthier gamblers.

Rep. Paul Clymer, R-Bucks, said lawmakers should slow down.

"Without even looking at what the casinos do when they go online, we're ready to push table games," Clymer said.