Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and his wife reported more than $10 million in adjusted gross income in 2024, including over $1.4 million from gambling winnings. The winnings were reported on the Democratic governor’s tax returns, which his campaign released this week. Gov. JB Pritzker released partial tax records Wednesday showing he and his wife reported more than $10.3 million in taxable income — including more than $1.4 million in income from gambling.https://t.co/KTmvnyL18O — Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) October 16, 2025 More from the Chicago Tribune: The billionaire governor has used his personal fortune as an heir to the Hyatt Hotels Corp. to bankroll his political campaigns while also helping fund other Democratic causes nationwide. As has been done annually since his first run for governor, Pritzker’s campaign released incomplete information detailing his wealth, as it did not provide his full federal and state income tax returns, which could reveal greater details about his financial interests. In addition, Pritzker holds a substantial portion of his wealth in trusts. Since entering public life, Pritzker and his campaign have repeatedly declined to release tax records related to those trusts, making the information difficult to independently verify. But in the records his campaign has released, the $10.3 million in taxable income the governor and his wife, MK, reported for 2024 was the highest total in several years. For 2023, the figure was $3.2 million, and the year before that it was $2.3 million. For 2021, the Pritzkers reported $18.5 million in state taxable income, with the majority of that — $11.3 million — coming from capital gains. Pritzker does not take a salary as governor, an office he’s held since 2019. Asked why the Pritzkers reported three times more state taxable income last year than the year before, a spokesperson for the governor’s campaign said in an emailed response that “certain trusts make distributions each year, and the taxable income associated with those distributions changes from year to year based on the performance of trust assets.” Pritzker was asked about the gambling winnings during a press conference this week, saying he was “incredibly lucky” in Las Vegas. The governor credited the winnings to playing card games at a casino. Check it out: NEW: Illinois Governor JB Pritzker described his $1.4 million gambling win as “incredibly lucky” and even suggested others give gambling a try. I was incredibly lucky—you have to be… I like to play cards, and, so, you know, I founded a charitable poker match here in Chicago.… pic.twitter.com/pVGNwCr25r — I Meme Therefore I Am (@ImMeme0) October 16, 2025 NBC 5 Chicago provided further info: Pritzker said the winnings were cumulative from the year, and did not specify which games he played to win the money, but he said that he was fortunate to have left the casino before being tempted to push his luck at the tables. “It happened in one trip. Most of the time, anybody that’s been to a casino, you win, and anyone who’s played cards in a casino, you often play for too long and lose whatever you won,” he said. “I was fortunate enough to have to leave before that happened.” Pritzker also mentioned the Chicago Poker Challenge, a charity event he sponsors to benefit the Illinois Holocaust Museum. He praised the event’s success and its ability to raise funds for civil rights activism. As for what the gambling winnings could do to his political fortunes, Pritzker dismissed the idea that such an attack would be harmful to his candidacy for governor or potentially for other offices. “No. I think people know that when I got elected, and they’ve known for some time, that I’ve been very fortunate in my life,” he said. “I’m focused on running for reelection as governor, that’s the only thing I’m focused on politically.