Lake County Gazette

Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s campaign disclosed that the Illinois governor won $1.4 million playing blackjack in Las Vegas, a windfall that pushed his reported taxable income for 2024 to more than $10.7 million—over three times his income from the previous year.

The revelation, which comes amid growing speculation about a potential 2028 presidential bid, has ignited both praise and criticism, drawing comparisons to political scandals of the past and raising fresh concerns about transparency, wealth and trust in public office.

According to the disclosure, Pritzker, heir to the Hyatt Hotels fortune and with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion, amassed nearly $1.5 million in gambling winnings, most of it from a blackjack hot streak in Las Vegas.

According to Pritzker's campaign, the winnings will be donated as part of the $3.3 million in charitable contributions he and his wife MK reported for 2024, which is nearly double what they donated the year prior.

Their total income included $4.2 million in capital gains.

Pritzker described the Vegas trip as a private vacation with friends and family, adding that he was simply “incredibly lucky.” 

The blackjack winnings make up approximately 10% of his total income in 2024, leading some on social media to question the winnings. 

“Show us the casino tapes… Money laundering 101,” NotABot said on X. 

“Sounds more like a money laundering operation marked down in the books as a gambling win,” Wallyworld said on X. 

“I guess it was his own money he staked at the casino?” X user Garam said.

“Sounds like a money laundering scheme to me. Someone should investigate his relationships with casino personnel and owners,” TL Ha said on X. 

Despite the disclosure that Pritzker's jackpot will be donated to charity, skepticism persists, especially as Pritzker continues to shield parts of his financial empire from public view.

While personal tax filings showed the Pritzkers paid $1.6 million in federal and $512,120 in state income taxes, full returns were not released. His vast network of family trusts, which paid $30.2 million in federal taxes and $4.5 million in state taxes, remains largely private.

Pritzker has faced previous allegations of benefitting from his trust through his role as governor. 

During the pandemic, The Pritzker Group held investments in at least two companies developing COVID-19 tests, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest despite Pritzker’s claim that he stepped back from the firm after taking office.  

That lack of transparency has become a recurring issue for the governor, especially as his political ambitions expand beyond Illinois.

Republican lawmakers seized on the moment to paint Pritzker as elitist and detached.

“Governor Pritzker has never had to face the hard budgeting decisions that millions of Illinois families contend with every day,” the Illinois House Republicans said on Facebook. “The proof is in his track record of excessive state spending and now it's even more obvious with the release of his tax returns.”

“A $1.4 million gambling win would be a dream come true for most Illinoisans, for Pritzker it's just a weekend in Vegas. Can we really trust someone so out of touch with reality with our citizens' hard-earned tax dollars?”

Pritzker spent over $170 million on his 2018 gubernatorial campaign and another $159 million during the 2022 cycle. 

He's currently focused on his upcoming reelection bid in 2026.  

However, recent polling shows his approval rating has turned negative, with 50.2% of likely 2026 voters viewing him unfavorably. Taxes remain the top concern, with 60% of respondents citing it as their primary issue.

More recently, he made headlines for personally funding $1.5 million annually to supplement the salaries of 15 top state staffers, in addition to their taxpayer-funded compensation.

He also donated $1.5 million to support Democrat Judge Susan Crawford’s campaign in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, listing himself as “Governor” on campaign finance filings tied to The Pritzker Group, his family’s venture capital firm.

The announcement arrives during a sensitive time for Illinois, a state with a checkered political past.

Four of the past 10 Illinois governor’s have been imprisoned for public corruption. 

Just days ago, former House Speaker Michael Madigan, arguably the most powerful state politician of the last four decades, began serving a 7.5-year federal prison sentence for bribery.

The conviction echoes the downfall of former four-term governor of Louisiana Edwin Edwards, who once claimed to have funded his lavish lifestyle through casino winnings before being convicted on corruption charges involving bribes for riverboat casino licenses in 2000.