Legal Stuff -- MasterCard said this week that it wholeheartedly supports Congressional efforts to ban online gambling. "We strongly support legislative efforts that build on our proven track record to block illegal Internet gambling transactions," said Noah Hanft, the association's general counsel. "For example, legislation introduced in the Senate (S. 627) and in the House (H.R. 21) contains core provisions that establish a workable framework for combating illegal Internet gambling and we are committed to working with Congress as it seeks to provide a legislative solution to this important problem."
US News -- The Washington Times reported today that as long as office pools on the NCAA tournament remain informal, the participants are in no danger of trouble from the police. David Vice, the leader of the organized crime and narcotics division of the Fairfax, Va., police department, said the police are more interested in higher crimes. "We all know they're everywhere," he said. "It's one of those things that someone who never bets puts a dollar in."
Names and Faces -- James E. Billie, the Seminole's famous leader, has been voted out by the tribe's four-member council. Jim Shore, the tribe's general council, said Billie was a folk hero for Seminoles, but had lied to the tribe and overstepped constitutional restraints. "His personality put us on the map," Shore said. "But after a while, he thought the tribal business was his personal candy store." Last year Billie was involved in an investigation that he had allowed tribal funds to secretly be used to fund an Internet gambling venture in Belize and Nicaragua.