Illinois Governor JB Pritzker reported $1.4 million in gambling winnings on his tax returns this week, an astonishing figure that highlights the vast disparity between his personal privilege and the daily struggles of ordinary Illinoisans (1). Nothing is more disheartening than watching Illinois decline while its billionaire governor wagers sums most residents will never see in their lifetime.

The state faces an avalanche of problems: unfunded pension liabilities, a financially strained Chicago, and an exodus of large corporations and small businesses that once provided stable jobs and vital tax revenue (2). Meanwhile, barely one third of Illinois students can read at grade level, and only one fourth are proficient in math—grim indicators for the state’s economic future (3). How does a governor who casually gambles millions reconcile that image with the financial and personal hardships of the people he governs?

To be clear, wealth itself is not disqualifying. Many successful business leaders, such as former US Senator Mitt Romney, have served their country with integrity, principle, and a deep sense of duty. The problem is not that JB Pritzker is rich; it is that he governs as though Illinois exists to serve his political ambitions.

Rather than focus on revitalizing Illinois, Pritzker has turned the state into a platform for his national aspirations. His policies are crafted to appeal to liberal voters across the country, not to fix the chronic problems facing Illinois families. The consequences—economic stagnation, higher taxes, and a worsening quality of life—will be borne not by him, but by the millions who call this state home long after he has moved on.

Several Republican candidates have already stepped forward to challenge Pritzker in 2026. If he loses reelection, it would deal a devastating blow to his presidential ambitions and expose his tenure for what it truly is: an exercise in vanity and self promotion. Illinois deserves a leader who shares in the struggles of its citizens, not one who gambles for sport while the state slips deeper into crisis.

Born into the Hyatt Hotel fortune, JB Pritzker attended Duke University and Northwestern University School of Law, the latter now bearing his family’s name. His net worth, estimated at $3.9 billion, was largely inherited, not earned. Since taking office in 2019, he has used his vast fortune to entrench Democratic power. Now, he is using that same inherited wealth to position himself for a presidential run in 2028.

JB Pritzker gambles because he can. He governs because he wants to be remembered. But for millions of Illinois families, his legacy is already clear: a governor who bet big on his own ambition and lost the confidence of his people.