Casey Urlacher, Brother Of Brian, Charged In IL Gambling Bust

• Casey Urlacher was charged with two offenses related to an illegal gambling operation.
• Urlacher allegedly acted as an agent recruiting gamblers for a Costa Rica-based sportsbook.
• As Illinois prepares to launch statewide sports betting, this bust comes at a convenient time.

CHICAGO – Casey Urlacher, brother of former Chicago Bears linebacker and NFL Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, has been charged with running an illegal sports gambling business, as well as conspiracy.

The operation was allegedly spearheaded by a man named Vincent DelGiudice, who lives in Orland Park, Illinois. The indictment claims that DelGiudice partnered with a Costa Rica-based sportsbook and paid various agents to recruit gamblers to use the website.

Urlacher was identified as one of the agents employed by DelGiudice. Currently the mayor of a small Illinois town called Mettawa, Urlacher declined to speak when confronted by CBS reporters.

In 2016, Urlacher ran for a seat on the Illinois State Senate, but failed to defeat fellow Republican Dan McConchie. Prior to his political career, he played college football at Lake Forest College and bounced around the Arena Football League and its developmental counterpart, the AF2, for several years.

DelGiudice himself was found in his home with over $1 million in cash and $440,000 in silver, gold and jewelry. He is being charged with money laundering, conspiracy to conduct an illegal gambling operation, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors are seeking damages of $8 million from DelGiudice.

For Urlacher, illegal gambling is considered a Class A misdemeanor in Illinois, which means he faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison. However, it is unlikely that he will actually serve any jail time.

The Chicago court system has not yet scheduled arraignments for any of the ten conspirators.

Proximity To Sports Betting Launch In Illinois

Aside from the connection to Brian Urlacher, this case is interesting because of how close it comes to the planned launch of state-sanctioned sports betting in Illinois.

State Legislators have expressed interest in launching the first Illinois sportsbooks by the start of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on March 17. Offshore gambling operations, even relatively small ones like DelGiudice’s, represent competition for Illinois’s potential $2 billion sports betting industry.

There is no evidence that bettors who used DelGiudice’s sportsbook were taken advantage of, so this bust was likely intended as a warning shot for other potential underground bookies throughout Illinois. The people who used the betting service are also not mentioned to be in trouble for doing so.

It is unclear whether DelGiudice, Urlacher, or any of the other defendants have obtained legal representation yet.

News tags: Brian Urlacher | Casey Urlacher | Chicago Bears | Illinois | Vincent Delgiudice