LAS VEGAS – Billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson has lost a defamation lawsuit against the National Jewish Democratic Council.

Adelson asked for $60 million in damages, arguing the council libeled him by saying his political contributions were sullied by links to prostitution. On Monday, a federal judge in Manhattan found that the council’s speech was protected. Adelson, whom Forbes ranks as the ninth-richest American, is chief executive officer of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and a major Republican donor.

The lawsuit accused the council of “assassinating” Adelson’s character by saying he “personally approved” of prostitution in resorts owned by Sands China Limited, a Las Vegas Sands subsidiary, for his casinos in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.

In the months before the 2012 presidential election, the council posted an article urging Republican candidates to refuse Adelson’s money, saying his donations were “tainted.”