As the world struggles to understand why Stephen Paddock unleashed the deadliest mass shooting in US history on his Las Vegas victims, one fact is becoming clear: The 64-year-old loved to gamble, and for big stakes. Whether that has anything to do with the shooting, however, remains very much unclear. Details:
- Recent transactions: Law enforcement sources tell NBC News that Paddock recently made several large gambling transactions. However, it wasn't clear whether they were wins or losses, and "large" isn't defined.
- A regular: Brother Eric Paddock of Florida tells the Washington Post that Stephen was a retiree and seemingly well off, and he loved to spend time at casinos. "My brother is not like you and me. He plays high stakes video poker. He sends me a text that says he won $250,000 at the casino." Eric says he knows of no gambling debts and showed the FBI three years of texts from his brother, none of which mentioned money trouble.
- Bank robber dad: Paddock's father was a bank robber who was once on the FBI's most-wanted list, reports the Orlando Sentinel. Benjamin Hoskins Paddock escaped from prison in Texas in 1968 when he was eight years into a 20-year sentence. He, too, was described as a frequent gambler. The elder Paddock wasn't re-captured until 1978, in Oregon. He died in 1998.