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US officials are reporting that the a man who opened fire on the crowd below from his 32nd floor hotel room had approximately a dozen gambling transactions to the tune of $10,000 over the past few weeks.
Stephen Paddock is responsible for the killing of nearly 60 people and the injuring of over 500 more. Authorities say that the Nevada resident broke out windows from his room in Las Vegas’ Mandalay Hotel, massacring those attending a country music festival in an open air space below. It is the deadliest mass shooting in modern day US history.
While a motive is yet to be determined, Paddock’s gambling activity is being highly scrutinized.
From ABC News:
While some of the reports centered around "suspicious activity," most were "currency transaction reports," which casinos are required to file with the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network when a person withdraws or deposits more than $10,000 in cash.
The number of reports prompted by Paddock's activities reflects -- at the very least -- how routine it was for him to gamble with large sums of money.
In one case, Paddock recently won $40,000 on a slot machine, his brother, Eric Paddock, told The Associated Press.
One law enforcement official noted "currency transaction reports" are "not necessarily suspicious," especially "if you’re a high roller." As for "suspicious activity reports," 13,736 were filed last year with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, according to Treasury Department statistics.
Paddock had also told at least one neighbor he gambled heavily online, once winning $20,000.
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
