Billionaire governor Pritzker won $1.4M playing cards in Vegas

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, who’s made no secret of his wealth even as he’s raised his national profile within the Democratic party, disclosed that he won $1.4 million while playing blackjack. 

“It was in Las Vegas and I like to play cards,” Pritzker told reporters on Thursday after disclosing his 2024 tax returns. “I went on vacation with my wife, with some friends, I was incredibly lucky. You have to be to end up ahead frankly going to a casino anywhere.”

Pritzker, who is often cited as a potential presidential candidate in 2028, is an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune and is worth $4.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. For months he’s sparred with President Donald Trump over immigration enforcement in Chicago and the deployment of National Guard troops, with Trump even suggesting Pritzker should be put behind bars for failing to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. 

Tensions in Illinois between protesters and federal agents have reached a fever pitch in recent weeks, with Trump attempting to deploy National Guard troops to the Chicago area. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order against the plans, halting them for 14 days. 

Pritzker, 60, was first elected governor in 2018 and he’s currently running in next year’s election for a third term. He doesn’t take a salary. Before being elected, he and his brother Tony ran the Pritzker Group, a venture and private capital firm based in Chicago. 

The governor disclosed that he and his wife, MK, made more than $10 million last year in adjusted gross income. Federal tax returns released by his gubernatorial campaign show he made over $4.2 million in capital gains and took a $4.8 million deduction, paying taxes on $5.9 million in income.

A spokesperson for the campaign said Pritzker plans to donate his card-game winnings to charity. 

Pritzker downplayed concerns that the information in his tax returns could be used against him during the campaign, saying people are already aware of his wealth.

 “I think people know that when I got elected and have known for some time that I have been very fortunate in my life,” he said.