Jeffrey Caplan
Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino magnate, recalled Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock as being an “unremarkable customer” and a “loser” gambler at his place.
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Wynn, who shared thoughts on Paddock during the company’s quarterly earnings call, said he has interviewed staff at his hotels who knew the man who killed 58 people and wounded nearly 500 others when he opened fire on concertgoers from his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
“The fellow who did the shooting had been a customer since 2006; that’s when we first picked him up on our records,” Wynn said, according to the Las Vegas Sun. “He was a player with a modest budget. The last three years he was coming here frequently with his lady friend.”
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He added: “He played at the $20,000-$30,000 level. He was a winner at Mandalay Bay but a loser at our place over the six to eight years here. He didn’t meet the profile of a problem gambler. He was a very controlled person. … They were the most vanilla, unexciting, totally typical couple that has ever walked in this building. When I interviewed employees who knew him, they were stunned.”
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Wynn was asked about security. He said he started planning for a terrorist or violent incident several years ago, meeting with experts — including members of SEAL Team 6 — to institute comprehensive security detail at his properties.
“This would be a tough place to survive longer than three minutes if you had a gun on you,” Wynne said.
He also noted that he and other Strip executives are developing a plan to help victims who experienced serious and long-term injuries as a result of the shootings. Two of those are Wynn Resorts employees.
