SPRINGFIELD - Illinoisans could soon be buying lottery tickets on the Internet, under a proposal being floated in the General Assembly.

With lawmakers giving a cold shoulder to Gov. Rod Blagojevich's plan to add keno to the state lottery, legislative leaders on Thursday said an alternative way of paying for a major state construction program could come from the World Wide Web.

Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago, said Thursday that the state should pursue the Internet lottery plan as a way to generate up to $100 million for a long-sought school construction program.

The school construction proposal is part of a $3.2 billion statewide construction program being pushed by Blagojevich. The Chicago Democrat says new roads and bridges could be paid for out of existing state revenues, but the school portion would have to be bankrolled by the $80 million that would be raised by bringing keno to the state.

Lawmakers say keno is an expansion of gambling because it would result in 2,000 taverns getting keno terminals. The governor also has been criticized because two of his former aides now lobby for the keno industry.

In his State of the State speech Wednesday, the governor did not mention keno, leading to speculation that he is dumping the controversial proposal.

That's not true, said spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch, who said the governor's keno plan remains an option.

"There's no difference today than where we were last week. It's a way to fund school construction. It's a means to an end. If lawmakers have a different idea, we're all ears," said Rausch.

On Thursday, the administration released a list of projects that would be built if the House and Senate approve the construction program. Most of the projects are holdovers from previous years.

The state Senate approved an Internet lottery game last April, but the measure has not been acted on in the House.

Consumers would purchase lottery tickets over the Internet using a credit or debit card. Hoping to blunt concerns from anti-gambling opponents, supporters said the lottery could bar teenagers and out-of-state residents from playing by requiring identification to open an account.

The governor is considering the idea, said Rausch.

Senate Minority Leader Frank Watson, R-Greenville, said he also is keeping an open mind about Internet lottery.

"I haven't shut the door on anything," said Watson.

State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, who is running for governor, said he's not convinced an expansion of the lottery will result in additional dollars for the state.

"You've got a pool of people who take their money and spend it on the lottery and I don't think you're going to increase that," said Brady.

State Rep. Bob Flider, D-Mt. Zion, said he's hopeful lawmakers can find a way to fund school construction without expanding gambling.

"When you look at funding government programs through gambling, you're dealing with the misfortunes of others and I don't know if that's the best way to build a foundation upon which our state operates," said Flider.