Pritzker Brushes Off Casino Haul
Gov. JB Pritzker listens to a roundtable with retired military leaders Friday in Chicago. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Governor JB Pritzker Thursday largely brushed off questions based on his 2024 tax return that showed he made around $1.4 million in casino winnings last year.
Speaking to the media in an unrelated news conference, Pritzker called himself “incredibly lucky” and said the winnings were from playing blackjack at a Las Vegas casino while on vacation with his wife and friends.
“I like to play cards,” Pritzker added. “Anybody who’s played cards in a casino knows that you often play for too long and lose whatever it is that you’ve won. I was fortunate enough to have to leave before that happened.”
Pritzker founded a charity poker tournament that raised millions for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and, we’re told, has been known to play in some “big money” card games among friends.
“I had fun doing it, and I encourage people to come to the state of Illinois and gamble in our casinos here. We have some really lovely places to go,” said Pritzker.
NBC Chicago reported Pritzker planned to donate the winnings to charity, but we have not independently confirmed that.
Republicans attacked Pritzker’s luck at the tables. Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey, who Pritzker defeated in 2022, called it a “snapshot” of how far removed Pritzker is from the lives of regular Illinoisans.
“While hard working families are struggling, JB Pritzker is living the high life in Las Vegas,” Bailey said in a statement. “Not only is he gambling with his own money, but he also is gambling away the future of working families.”
Pritzker and First Lady MK Pritzker reported over $10 million in taxable income in 2024.
