Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker hauled in more than $10.3 million in income last year — including a stunning $1.425 million in gambling winnings — as he eyes a third term and possible run for president, according to a partial tax disclosure reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The bulk of Pritzker’s gambling haul came from blackjack tables in Las Vegas, raising eyebrows given the governor’s long-standing push to expand legalized gaming in Illinois. The revelations come as the billionaire Democrat continues to wield outsized influence in state politics, national fundraising, and Democratic policy circles.
Pritzker’s 2024 income marked a massive jump from prior years. In 2023, he reported just $3.2 million, and in 2022, $2.3 million — making last year’s eight-figure spike, and especially the seven-figure gambling gain, highly unusual for a sitting governor.
A hotel empire heir, Pritzker was instrumental in pushing through Illinois’ 2019 gambling overhaul, which included legalized sports betting, six new casinos, and racetrack gaming. That legislation was part of a $45 billion infrastructure plan touted as a solution to budget shortfalls and economic decline in horse racing communities.
But now, with Pritzker personally profiting from the industry he helped expand, questions of ethics and conflict are intensifying. While the governor doesn’t take a salary, he remains one of the wealthiest elected officials in the nation — and his financial entanglements are under renewed scrutiny as he gains traction with some Democratic donors as a potential post-Biden candidate.
Pritzker claims he removed himself from direct investment decisions by placing assets into a so-called “blind trust” in 2018. Yet critics argue the trust’s structure leaves plenty of visibility and influence intact, especially when disclosures show continued tax filings tied to those investments.
According to the filing, trusts benefiting the governor paid $4.5 million in Illinois state taxes and over $30 million in federal taxes last year — showing just how vast the scope of Pritzker’s financial operation is behind the scenes.
The optics could prove problematic. A sitting governor who championed gaming expansion, helped legalize new betting sectors, and now reports personal gains at the blackjack table is likely to face increasing scrutiny from both sides of the aisle.
Pritzker’s office has yet to fully address the implications. But with Democratic primaries on the horizon and rumors swirling about a possible White House run, his lucrative Vegas nights may become political fodder. The key question: will voters see him as a visionary reformer, or a politician who played the system and hit the jackpot?
The post Pritzker Raked in $1.4 Million From Gambling While Expanding Casino Industry in Illinois appeared first on Real News Now.
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