Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stands with other elected officials to discuss the federal government’s deployment in Chicago, September 29, 2025.
E. Jason Wambs Guns | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday that he won $1.4 million in card gambling during a vacation trip to Las Vegas with his wife and friends last year.
“I’ve been incredibly lucky,” Pritzer said at a news conference the day after his gubernatorial campaign released his federal income tax returns detailing his gambling income.
“Frankly, in order to ultimately get the upper hand, we have to go to casinos wherever we are,” the Democrat said. “It was Las Vegas. I like playing cards.”
Pritzker, a billionaire who is seen as a possible 2028 White House contender, did not say which match he won.
However, his campaign told NBC News that he won the money by playing blackjack. A campaign aide told NBC that Pritzker plans to donate his winnings.
The Pritzkers reported total income of nearly $10.7 million in 2024, according to federal and state tax returns the campaign shared with news outlets.
CNBC has reached out to Pritzker’s campaign for comment on the tax returns.
Pritzker has emerged as one of President Donald Trump’s most high-profile opponents, with the two at odds over federal immigration enforcement in Chicago and other issues.
