The federal judge in the New Hampshire case against the Department of Justice has ruled that the Wire Act only applies to sports betting. In doing so, he set aside the Justice Department opinion that the act applies to online gambling and poker, which some feared could put states in danger of losing their online lotteries and regulated Internet betting.

In 2011 the DOJ concluded that online gambling within states that was not sports betting  did not break the law. However, last November they changed their opinion on the matter and chose to interpret the act as applying to any form of gambling and not just sports bets.

On Monday, Judge Barbadoro said New Hampshire had the standing to sue and that the Wire Act was limited to sports gambling. New Jersey also has pending legal action against the Justice Department over their Freedom of Information Act request for documents tied to the agencies changing opinion on the matter… documents which could tie the decision to Las Vegas Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson.

Read more on how the Wire Act only applies to sports betting, visit the Las Vegas Sun.