An Illinois illegal online sports betting bust has ensnared the brother of former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.
On Wednesday, the US Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois issued an indictment against 10 individuals accused of operating an illegal online sports betting ring. The “multi-million dollar” ring allegedly had around 1,000 betting clients, most of whom were based in the Chicago area.
The indictment fingers Vincent ‘Uncle Mick’ Delgiudice as the ringleader, who directed bettors to the password-protected Unclemicksports.com, which was run by a Costa Rica-based pay-per-head outfit at a cost of $10k per month. The payment of winnings and collection of gambling debts was conducted in person through Delgiudice’s co-accused.
Among those agents and sub-agents steering bettors to Uncle Mick was one Casey Urlacher, mayor of Mettawa, a small suburb just outside Chicago, and the brother of NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher. Asked by the Chicago Sun-Times to explain his relationship with Delgiudice, Casey (pictured) claimed not to know anyone by that name.
LEGAL BETTING COUNTDOWN
Illinois legislators approved legal sports betting last June but the Illinois Gaming Board has been slow-rolling their betting regulations. Last month, three of the state’s 10 casinos – Grand Victoria Casino Elgin, Rivers Casino Des Plaines and Argosy Casino Alton – became the first to submit betting license applications and receive temporary betting permits.
The expectation was that retail sports betting would be up and running in time for the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, with mobile betting a less likely scenario to beat that clock. This week, Gov. J.B. Pritzker offered local bettors some assurance, saying legal wagering “appears to be on track and will be up and running” by the time the tournament tips off on March 17.
Illinois bettors will actually have a reason to root against their local alma maters going deep into the tournament, as the state’s betting legislation prohibits wagering on any games in which a local college team is participating.
