Windows Vista / 7 64-bit?

I am currently running Windows XP Pro 32-bit on a MBP 17" I purchased in August 2009. I would like to run Vista or 7 in 64-bit but was told that Bootcamp may or may not support 64-bit Windows. How can I know if I am able to run 64-bit Windows OS's on my Mac? Thanks.

Thanks for the info. and does this mean I would also be able to use Windows 7 64-bit? Also, are there any Bootcamp updates I need to find or am I good to go on the Bootcamp part?

EDIT: If able to run Windows 7 64-bit, would I use the Mac OS X cd drivers just like with XP or would I need to find them one by one?

Windows 7 will work fine.

Boot Camp doesn't want to run under Windows 7 (since it came out long after Boot Camp) but the boot camp x64 executable can be run directly and it should work. I have Win7 x64 on my 17" MBP and it runs fine.