The Left can’t stay away from controversy. They have a special talent for attracting it.
And a Democrat governor has been involved in a gambling scandal that could sink their campaign.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, the Democrat billionaire, raked in a whopping $10.7 million in taxable income last year alongside his wife, and get this—$1.4 million of that came straight from hitting it big at blackjack in Las Vegas.
While everyday Americans scrape by with skyrocketing costs, Pritzker was out there living the high life, scoring that massive win during a cushy vacation with his spouse and pals, as a spokesperson spilled to NBC.
Now, the governor’s camp claims he’ll hand over those casino winnings to charity.
This haul pushed his earnings to the peak we’ve seen in a while, according to the docs his team shared with the press.
As an heir to the Hyatt Hotels empire, Pritzker’s sitting on a fortune estimated at $3.9 billion by Forbes, which jumped up by around $200 million from last year alone.
The Pritzkers shelled out $1.6 million to the feds in taxes, a bump of about $300,000 over the previous year, per the partial returns.
On top of that, they coughed up $512,120 to Illinois, which is $358,000 more than before—peanuts for a guy like him, but a fortune for the average Joe.
Then there’s the trusts propping up the governor, which forked over $30.2 million federally and $4.5 million to the state last year.
That’s actually a drop from the $50 million federal and $10 million state payments those trusts made in 2023.
Pritzker and his wife MK pulled in $4.2 million from capital gains last year, the kind of easy money that elites love while lecturing the rest of Americans on fairness.
They also tossed $3.3 million to charities, double the $1.65 million from the year prior—generous, sure, but from a bottomless well.
What his team released isn’t the full picture; these are just snippets of tax returns, leaving out the juicy details on his massive wealth.
Pritzker’s crew has always played it close to the vest when it comes to those trusts, keeping the public in the dark.
Back in the last couple of years, the Pritzkers claimed far less income: $3.2 million in 2023, $2.3 million in 2022, though they hit $18.5 million in 2021.
Since taking office in 2019, Pritzker hasn’t drawn a single dime in salary as governor—noble on the surface, but easy when you’re swimming in billions.
This guy’s no stranger to throwing his cash around in politics; in 2018, he poured over $170 million of his own money into his campaign, per FollowTheMoney’s breakdown.
Come 2022, he doubled down with more than $159 million for reelection—some say even higher—basically buying his way back into power.
And now, he’s gunning for a third term, announcing it back in June, as if Illinois needs more of this elite rule.
