According to newly released FBI documents, the alleged shooter, Stephen Paddock, had a grudge against casinos before carrying out the bloodiest massacre in modern American history.
Paddock shot through a 32nd-floor window at the Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort in Las Vegas on October 1, 2017, killing 59 and wounding over 500.
With a bankroll of between $2 million and $3 million, the FBI adds that Paddock played video poker frequently.
One of Paddock’s gambling companions voiced concern that the poor treatment he and other high rollers received from casinos contributed to their eventual decision to resort to violence.
According to the papers, Paddock had lost thousands of dollars gambling in the weeks leading up to the shooting.
Someone who knew Paddock told investigators that he “was very disgruntled with the way casinos were treating him and other high rollers,” as stated in the papers. And claimed that Paddock’s “snap” could have been attributed to his own “personal unhappiness and stress” about the treatment he and other high rollers had gotten in previous years.
High rollers are no longer welcome at many casinos, and some establishments go so far as to bar them from staying on the premises. At one time, wealthy gamblers received special treatment.
The Wall Street Journal initiated a public records request, which resulted in the release of the materials.
