PITTSBURGH — Eighteen state, county and city lawmakers on Wednesday endorsed a plan in which a casino company would build a new hockey arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. would pay $290 million for the arena if the gambling company gets a license to operate a slot machine parlor in Pittsburgh, the team announced last month.

The Biloxi, Miss.-based company has joined with Nationwide Realty Investors, a key player in the Columbus Blue Jackets' arena and surrounding development projects, on a $1 billion plan that also would include the construction of new housing and retail space.

Pittsburgh-area state Sens. Jim Ferlo and Jay Costa, both Democrats, and Republicans Jane Orie and John Pippy joined nine state representatives and five members of the city and Allegheny County councils in endorsing the plan.

"We need jobs and income in the city of Pittsburgh, and when I look at the various projects that are out there ... this proposal clearly generates the largest amount of jobs," said Ferlo, who described the proposal as "an economic development no-brainer."

The Isle of Capri plan, unlike others, would help revitalize Pittsburgh's downtown area by creating revenue for the city, which is "struggling with its daily operating budget," he said at a news conference.

The lawmakers hope their united show of support will push the state's Gaming Control Board to award Isle of Capri a slots license later this year.

Three other groups, including one backed by Harrah's Entertainment Inc., have made bids for the slots-parlor license that will be given to Pittsburgh. The other applicants have said they might offer some arena funding, but none has offered to build the entire facility without using tax money, as Isle of Capri has.

Penguins player and owner Mario Lemieux has warned that he might move the team if a new arena deal is not reached by the end of the 2006-2007 NHL season. The Penguins have played at the 45-year-old Mellon Arena since they began as an expansion team in 1967.

The proposed arena would have a seating capacity of 18,500, exceeding the Mellon Arena's capacity of about 17,000 seats. Architectural sketches at Wednesday's news conference envision a glass-enclosed entrance, a casino decorated with palm trees and revamped streets nearby.

The team is worth more than $100 million to Pittsburgh's economy, said City Council President Luke Ravenstahl, citing a recent Carnegie Mellon University study.

"If we lose that, that is money directly out of our city coffers and our city budget, and as we all know and as is well documented, we certainly can't afford to lose something of that magnitude," he said, adding that there was insufficient taxpayer money to fund the new arena.

Ravenstahl and other officials were traveling to Columbus to tour the Blue Jackets' arena and nearby development projects, considering them an example of what might be achieved in Pittsburgh.

Jim Motznik, a city councilman, said officials previously had been unable to find a private developer to take on the job of building a new arena.

"The Penguins have been successful in finding someone to make an investment, which is new when we talk about building arenas," he said. "It is the perfect storm and we have to take advantage of it."

<B>History:</B> Opened in 1961 as the Civic Arena and designed to house the Civic Light Opera. Became home of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1967. Renamed the Mellon Arena in 1999 when the Penguins signed a 10-year, $18 million deal with the Pittsburgh-based bank. It has hosted concerts by The Beatles and Elvis Presley, among other performers, and a variety of other events.<b>Size:</B> Arena floor covers 17,000 square feet for hockey games, but can be expanded to 30,000 square feet by pushing back seats. Original seating capacity was 10,500, but renovations over the past three decades have increased that number to more than 17,000.<B>Features:</B>Noted for its revolutionary design and retractable, stainless steel dome roof, believed to be the largest of its kind in the world. The roof is made from 2,950 tons of Pittsburgh steel and covers an area of 170,000 square feet. The dome was designed to open or close in just two minutes.