In brief
In an incredible stroke of luck, Governor JB Pritzker won $1.4 million at a Las Vegas casino while on vacation. The two-term Democrat, who boasts a net worth of $3.9 billion, shared plans to donate his winnings to charity, although details on the timing remain unclear. Pritzker, a former poker tournament organizer, spoke about his win at a recent press conference while also addressing his political critiques of former President Trump.
A US Governor took home $1.4m (£1m) in a gambling windfall last year, a copy of his recent tax filing shows.JB Pritzker is reported to have won the sum while playing blackjack at a casino in Las Vegas during a holiday with his wife and friends.The two-term Democrat already has a net worth of $3.9bn (£2.9bn), according to Forbes, and is an heir to the Hyatt Hotel fortune.A campaign spokesperson told CBS, the BBC's partner in the US, that Pritzker planned to donate the money to charity but did not respond when asked why he hadn't already done so.Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the Illinois Governor described the win and himself as incredibly lucky. You have to be to end up ahead, frankly, going to a casino anywhere, Pritzker added.He previously founded a charitable Chicago Poker Challenge which he says has raised millions of dollars for the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.Pritzker and his wife, Mary Kathryn, reported a total income of $10.6m (£7.8m) in 2024, mostly from dividends and capital gains. They paid $1.6m (£1.1m) in taxes on taxable income of $5.87m (£4.36m).Pritzker described his Sin City winnings as a net number across his trip and declined to disclose his winning hand.Anybody who's played cards in a casino knows, you often play for too long and lose whatever it is you won, he remarked. I was fortunate enough to have to leave before that happened.The governor has been a vocal critic of former President Trump, clashing with him over the federal deployment of national troops to Chicago, which Pritzker called authoritarian.Trump accused Pritzker and Chicago's Mayor Brandon Johnson of not doing enough to ensure the safety of federal immigration officers in the city.Pritzker is expected to seek a third term in the governor's mansion in 2026 and has sidestepped questions about any ambitions beyond his current role.
