Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker stands with other elected officials to discuss federal deployments in Chicago, Sept. 29, 2025.
E. Jason Wambsgans | Tribune News Service | Getty Images
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker won $1.4 million from gambling on cards during a single vacation trip to Las Vegas last year with his wife and friends, he said Thursday.
“I was incredibly lucky,” Pritzer said at a press conference, a day after his gubernatorial campaign released federal income tax returns that detailed his gambling earnings.
“You have to be, to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere,” the Democrat said. “It was in Las Vegas, and I like to play cards.”
Pritzker, a billionaire who is considered a possible candidate for the White House in 2028, did not say what game he won at.
But his campaign told NBC News that he won the money from playing blackjack. A campaign aide told NBC that Pritzker plans to donate the winnings.
Pritzker and his wife reported nearly $10.7 million in total income in 2024, according to federal and state tax filings the campaign shared with news outlets.
CNBC has reached out to Pritzker’s campaign for comment on his tax filings.
Pritzker has emerged as one of President Donald Trump’s highest-profile antagonists, as the two clash over federal immigration operations in Chicago and other issues.
