CARSON CITY -- A new form of gambling may soon be coming to Nevada, a state world-famous for the slot machines and betting tables within its glittery casinos.

State lawmakers on Thursday gave final approval to Assembly Bill 471, which lets gamblers operate hand-held devices while on the property of larger casinos. The "mobile gaming" would include games approved by the state Gaming Commission and would let gamblers place bets on roulette and blackjack or even play slots by wireless transmission.

Proponents of the devices say the remote gambling option would help casinos compete with Indian casinos and Internet betting.

Others within the monolithic casino industry are cautious, saying they want to learn more about the concept and the state regulations that will govern it.

"At this point in time we don't know how it will be structured," said Lesley Pittman, spokeswoman for Station Casinos. "We want to take a wait-and-see approach to see what comes out of the regulatory process. We don't know what the final product will look like."

Bill Eadington, director of the Institute for the Study of Gambling and Commercial Gaming at the University of Nevada, Reno, said the potential effect of the devices, in their nascent stage, is largely unknown.

"The real question is what demand is there going to be for the product and what innovation is going to be a byproduct of it?" he said. "It's a bit like the Internet. It has all kinds of possibilities, and whether they ever come to fruition is another question."

Joe Asher, managing director of Cantor G&W (Nevada) LP, an affiliate of Cantor Fitzgerald LP, the New York-based financial services company whose technology is the genesis of the proposal, heralded the legislative action that puts Nevada on the way to apparently becoming the first state to allow wireless gambling.

"This is a resounding recognition that advances in mobile technology will benefit the gaming industry," he said.

Other companies, such as Diamond I based in Baton Rouge, La., also want in. Diamond I already makes a device, called the WifiCasino GS, set up to allow gambling, Internet and concierge-services access, and meal-and-drink ordering.

But before the state can seriously consider allowing the devices, state casino regulators must adopt rules and review the new devices to ensure, among other things, that they won't fall into children's hands.

That's just one of many concerns for one state senator, who was the only lawmaker to vote against the bill.

When she's not in the Legislature, state Sen. Maggie Carlton, D-Las Vegas, is a waitress at the coffee shop at Treasure Island, which MGM Mirage owns. She said the new gambling method could interfere with her livelihood by reducing customer turnover.

"There needs to be places where there aren't two and three gaming devices at your disposal," she said. "It's hard enough to get somebody's order when they're trying to fill out a keno slip. All I need to find out from them is how they like their eggs and what kind of toast they want."

Carlton also was worried about her duties as an employee.

"What's going to be my responsibility?" she asked. "Am I going to be obligated to turn someone in if I see them hand it to their kid?"

Gov. Kenny Guinn has yet to approve the bill, but a spokesman said the bill appears to keep the casino industry in step with evolving technology.

The devices could only be used in the public areas of casinos that have 100 or more slot machines and offer at least one other game. They would be barred from hotel rooms or any other private areas.

State Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander said it could take several months to a year for the board and its parent, the state Gaming Commission, to draft the regulations that will govern the use of the devices.

Besides restaurants, Neilander said the devices would likely be used in nightclubs, lounges, pool areas or bars on hotel-casino property. One way to keep them from minors, he said, would be to have a biometric system that reads a permitted user's thumb print.

Eadington said the advantage of offering casino customers a convenient way to gamble nonstop is offset by the possibility that the technology could someday make it outside casino walls.

"Then there may be some concern with the industry that there could be a competing product," he said, adding that the proposal "brings up the philosophical question of where should gambling take place."