The industry group had argued that the law was unconstitutional on many fronts, including freedom of speech and invasion of privacy concerns. It wanted the court to declare that people should be allowed to gamble from the privacy of their own homes. “You’re looking at a law criminalizing an activity online that is legal off-line in 48 of the 50 states,” said Joe Brennan Jr., the group’s chairman. “If I have that right off-line in the real world, I should have that right online.”

“The plaintiff’s claims express a fundamental disagreement with Congress’s judgment that Internet gambling should be controlled legislatively, and pose questions as to whether (the law) … will be successful in accomplishing its desired ends,” she wrote. “But it is not the court’s role to pass on the wisdom of a congressional act or speculate as to its effectiveness.”The law was legally enacted and does not violate the Constitution, she ruled in dismissing the association’s challenge.

But she did rule that the association has legal standing to challenge the law in a federal appeals court. Brennan said an appeal would be filed within the next two months.