Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says of his $1.4 million in gambling winnings in 2024: 'I like to play cards'

Olivia Olander, Chicago Tribune on Oct 16, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker offered a simple explanation on Thursday for how he took home more than $1.4 million in gambling winnings last year.

“I like to play cards,” the billionaire governor told reporters at a news conference in downtown Chicago, adding that he won the money during a single trip to Las Vegas.

Pritzker’s comments came one day after his political campaign released partial 2024 tax returns for the governor and his wife, MK, showing they reported $10.3 million in taxable income, including the $1.425 million in gambling revenue.

Previous partial tax returns released by Pritzker’s political campaign have not shown any gambling income for the governor or his wife.

When asked how much money he’s lost over the years gambling, Pritzker said the 2024 winnings represent a net gain in gambling income.

He said he won the money in Las Vegas on one trip with his wife and some friends.

“I was incredibly lucky. You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere,” he said. “Anybody who’s played cards in a casino knows 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.”

A campaign spokesperson said later that the governor plans to donate the winnings to charity, but didn’t provide any additional details.

As governor, Pritzker has been a friend to gambling interests in Illinois.

Several new casinos have opened up during his time in office, he legalized sports betting, and he expanded the number of slot machines in restaurants and bars. Much of that was done to help fund his $45 billion Rebuild Illinois capital infrastructure program.

Forbes, which keeps a regular record of billionaires, placed the governor’s net worth at $3.9 billion as of Wednesday, just higher than its $3.7 billion estimate when he released his tax returns in October of last year. Pritzker has used his personal fortune as an heir to the Hyatt Hotels Corp. to bankroll his political campaigns while also helping fund other Democratic causes nationwide.

Though it was the first time his tax returns showed gambling winnings, the revelations about those winnings came as part of the annual release of partial tax returns for Pritzker and his wife.

The records the campaign released do not provide Pritzker’s full federal and state income tax returns, which could reveal greater details about his financial interests. The governor holds a substantial portion of his wealth in trusts, the tax records on which Pritzker and his campaign have previously declined to release.

On Thursday, Pritzker also noted that he founded a charity poker match for the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie, which he helped fund before being elected governor.

A potential 2028 contender for the Democratic Party nomination for governor, Pritzker dismissed the idea that a political rival could use Pritzker’s wealth as a line of attack against him.

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

_____

(Chicago Tribune’s Dan Petrella contributed.)

_____