Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times
LAS VEGAS — The Bears were 1-2 when I spotted Phil Ioriatti, with his two brothers and nephew, inside the Green Valley Ranch sportsbook.
All are Chicago natives who still reside in Illinois except Phil, who lives in Chino Hills, California. They had tee times for golf courses in nearby Mesquite and visited the casino to gamble.
Early in a football season, Ioriatti always bets a C-note on an NFL team that isn’t an odds-on title favorite. So he slapped $100 on the Chargers at 15-to-1 odds.
Then he saw the Bears at 70-1.