Illinois Governor Reports $1.4 Million In Gambling Earnings After Big-Time Blackjack Run In Las Vegas

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is the living embodiment of the phrase ‘the rich get richer.’

Since becoming the 43rd governor of Illinois in 2019, Pritzker has not taken a salary, and that decision was likely made easier given the fact that he has a net worth of nearly $4 billion as an heir to the Hyatt Hotels Corp. family fortune.

Not taking a salary doesn't mean that Gov. Pritzker has not made an income over the years, and in 2024, his earnings included quite a note.

According to tax filings released by his campaign, Gov. Pritzker and his wife, MK, made $10.6 million in taxable income in 2024, which includes $1.4 million in gambling earnings. He told reporters on Thursday that he was "incredibly lucky" during a trip to Las Vegas.

"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 explained.

After the $1.4 million gambling earnings were noticed and various outlets reported the number on Thursday, OutKick reached out Gov. Pritzker's campaign, and a spokesman confirmed that the money was won at the blackjack table and that it would be donated to charity.

Gov. Pritzker is correct in saying that you have to have luck on your side to leave a casino with more money in your pocket than when you walked in, but to pick up $1.4 million on a single vacation to Vegas, which is what he implied happened, is nearly impossible to put into perspective. 

READ: Dana White Goes On Absurd Gambling Swing In Minutes, Gambles Incredible Amount Of Money

To win $1.4 million playing blackjack, you have to be wagering tens and tens of thousands of dollars per hand and then go on a run for the ages against the dealer. Several casinos will allow that sort of wagering - especially when it involves someone worth billions like Gov. Pritzker - but to leave Vegas over a million dollars richer truly is something.

All in all, the Prizkers paid $30.2 million in federal taxes and $4.5 million in state taxes in 2024, according to a release obtained by the Chicago Tribune.