LANSING – With skeptical lawmakers blocking funding for a plan to launch online lottery sales next year, the Michigan Lottery announced earlier this week that it is indefinitely halting plans to sell tickets on the Internet, the Lansing State Journal reports.

“Plans for an iLottery system have been suspended so that the Lottery may further evaluate the program,” said lottery spokeswoman Andi Brancato.

Michigan Governor Rick Snyder had requested nearly $3.4 million in the next state budget to fund the iLottery, money that would have been used for promotion and hiring the equivalent of 10 full-time workers.

However, Michigan’s Republican-led Legislature balked at the proposal, citing the risk of increased gambling addiction, personal debt, and the potential impact to brick-and-mortar stores.

The Snyder administration may still be able to create an online lottery by allocating money from the lottery budget.

“If they wanted to do it, they still could,” said Rep. Kevin Cotter, who is pushing for legislation that would prohibit an online lottery.

“My concern is that with iLottery, it would allow them to put all their games online. My biggest concerns are with scratch-off games as well as Club Keno. Both of those games online would be very transactional, like a slot machine, one game after another,” he said.