SALT LAKE CITY — “Jeopardy!” champion James Holzhauer has already won $1.69 million — and he’s giving some of it away, CNBC reports.
Holzhauer has reportedly given some of his winnings back to Las Vegas, his hometown.
Apparently, he has already donated “significant funds” to the Las Vegas-Clark County Library, the Las Vegas Natural History Museum and the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas, according to CNBC.
- “I am happy to confirm that James and Melissa Holzhauer made a $10,000 check to the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District Foundation on April 11 to support early learning and homework help services at the Library District,” said Danielle Milam, development and planning director at the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District and Foundation.
Holzhauer also reportedly gave the library a list of his favorite children’s books, which, he said, helped him have success in trivia.
“I’ve found that in an adult reference book, if it’s not a subject I’m interested in, I just can’t get into it,” he told The New York Times. “I was thinking, ‘What is the place in the library I can go to to get books tailored to make things interesting for uninterested readers?’ Boom. The children’s section.”
Holzhauer's per-game average is about $76,601, which is higher than "Jeopardy!" legend Ken Jennings’ $34,064, according to my reporting for the Deseret News. Jennings won $2.5 million in his 74-game winning streak. Holzhauer has notched $1.6 million in 21 games.
Holzhauer returns to “Jeopardy!” on May 20.