A New York judge on Friday dismissed the arrest warrant for the former chairman of online gambling firm Sportingbet, allowing him to return to Britain.
The ruling ends three weeks of uncertainty for Peter Dicks, who was arrested in New York on September 7 under a warrant issued by the state of Louisiana charging him with "gambling by computer.
The withdrawal of the warrant in New York signals that the United States' clampdown on Internet gambling -- which is highly popular in the country but still technically illegal -- may not be as harsh as some had feared.
"I'm very grateful," Dicks said as he left a New York criminal court in the borough of Queens, wearing a dark grey business suit.
According to one of Dicks' lawyers, New York State Governor George Pataki refused to sign an order to extradite Dicks to Louisiana to face the charges against him.
Louisiana's warrant to arrest Dicks on the same charges remains active, the lawyer said.
