- Pritzker reveals blackjack as his Las Vegas game of choice.
- Governor donates $1.425 million casino winnings to charity.
- Tax returns show tripled income for the billionaire Democrat.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker won $1.425 million gambling last year, according to his tax returns. A Pritzker campaign spokesperson confirmed that the governor “had winnings and losses from a casino” in Las Vegas but declined to name the venue.
At a press conference Thursday, the billionaire Democrat revealed his game of choice to be blackjack, adding that he would be donating the proceeds of his good fortune to charity.
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 — it was in Las Vegas — and I like to play cards,” Pritzker told reporters.
“Anybody who’s played cards in a casino knows that … you often play for too long and lose whatever it is that you won. I was fortunate enough to have to leave before that happened,” he added.
Billionaire Hyatt Heir
Last year was a good year all round for the Pritzkers, who jointly declared an income of $10.7 million to the IRS – more than triple the previous year.
The governor, currently seeking a third term, is an heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion. He has recently clashed with President Donald Trump, who has accused him of failing to protect ICE officers in Illinois and even called for his imprisonment. Pritzker is widely seen as a possible 2028 Democratic presidential candidate.
It’s no secret that the governor is pro-gambling. In 2019, he signed a massive gambling package to establish a casino in Chicago, as well as five smaller regional casinos in the southern suburbs.
This was part of a broader spending package that earmarked billions for investment in infrastructure, while also legalizing land-based and mobile sports betting and increasing the number of video gambling machines in the state.
Interests in Casinos
Pritzker’s family has long held interest in casinos, including the Four Queens in downtown Las Vegas, which it owned until 2003. Pritzker himself was once an investor in a company that owned a small stake of the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin, now owned by Caesars Entertainment. He still has an interest in the Niagara Casino Group, according to The Chicago Sun Times.
Pritzker is also known to be an enthusiastic poker player and even founded his own charity tournament, the Chicago Poker Challenge, to raise money for the Holocaust Museum and civil rights causes.
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