SPRINGFIELD | Community college officials are backing a long-shot bid to bring casino gambling to Danville as a way to generate money for campus upgrades.

Terry Bruce, chief executive officer of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, told members of the Illinois Community College Board earlier this week that a Danville casino could bring in an estimated $50 million to $70 million to help colleges with construction projects.

The proposal has backing from community college presidents around the state.

"I think we've almost reached the point in this state where we need to look at every possible source," Heartland Community College President Jonathon Astroth said. "It's been so difficult to obtain any capital funding that perhaps this is an attractive option only because it's possible."

Gov. Rod Blagojevich and lawmakers agree that a statewide construction program is needed. One option to pay for the multibillion dollar program is to expand gambling.

Speculation on where new casinos would go has centered on the Chicago area due to its large population and the potential to attract people from Indiana. Danville would need to compete against other cities interested in obtaining one of the new casino licenses.

Tom Swoik, executive director of the Illinois Casino Gaming Association, said a number of factors will play into a final decision if gambling is chosen as a way to pay for construction.

"There's a lot of things that have to be taken into consideration," Swoik said.

Bruce acknowledged that relying on gambling is not the ideal method to fund community colleges. But, without sufficient help from the state, community colleges have turned to increasing tuition costs.

Bob Mees, president of John A. Logan Community College in Carterville, said state funding used to be the top contributor to his college's funding, whereas now, tuition is.

"They really haven't come up with a good funding source of revenue to pay for the increased cost of not only education, but other things statewide," Mees said. "There's been a lot of other smaller taxes instituted the last few years, but those don't generate a lot of revenue."