The Las Vegas shooter was seen in the casino at the Mandalay Bay hotel on Friday evening, DailyMail.com has been told.
Mass-murderer Stephen Paddock, 64, was a regular visitor to the hotel, a staff member who knew him said, and he was seen walking through the casino 48 hours before he unleashed the attack that killed 58.
On previous visits, he was known to be a poker player who liked to use video poker machines and sit at the bar and drink while he played.
Most of the time, he would be with girlfriend Marilou Danley, 62, who is now a person of interest to police.
DailyMail.com has learned that Stephen Paddock was seen at the casino in the Mandalay Bay on Friday, 48 hours before his mass murder. Previously he had usually been seen with girlfriend Marilou Danley
The Mandalay Bay resort and casino, where Stephen Paddock was seen on Friday night in the casino where he had been a regular
Back at the slots: This is the floor of the casino where Stephen Paddock was seen on Friday night
Liked to gamble: One member of casino staff said: ‘I saw him around a lot but he never did anything weird, just played. There was nothing to suggest he was a weirdo – he would just sit down and play; bam, bam, bam and that was it.’
The Philippines-born grandmother was herself a gambling enthusiast whose loyalty card he is understood to have used to check into the hotel with.
‘I saw him walk through on Friday night,’ said Mandalay Bay bartender Chris, who asked not to give his last name. ‘He [used to] bet a lot on sports and things like that.
‘I saw him around a lot but he never did anything weird, just played. There was nothing to suggest he was a weirdo – he would just sit down and play; bam, bam, bam and that was it.’
The bartender, who has worked at the hotel for 18 years, said the couple were frequent visitors to the hotel and described Danley as a ‘big player here’.
‘She’s a big player here,’ he said. ‘She’s got a platinum card. I see the girl a lot and he’d usually be with her.
‘He used to talk a little but not much – he was usually focused on the game.’
She had an MLife Players Club Card. The cards are free to sign up for and unlock loyalty benefits for frequent gamblers or those who spend a significant amount of cash.
The Mandalay Bay is part of the MGM Group which offers a loyalty program called MLife which has five tiers.
Platinum, the level Danley holds, is the second highest and is achieved by spending $8,000 or more on betting in a year – or 200,000 ‘betting credits’as $1 is 25 credits.
Benefits include priority check-in and taxi services, VIP access to nightclubs and poolside day clubs and buffet line passes.
The card can be used in all MGM Group hotels, which include the Bellagio, the Luxor and the New York New York Hotel and Casino.
Paddock is understood to have checked into the Mandalay Bay using Danley’s Players Club Card, which initially led police investigating the shooting to make her a person of interest.
It has since emerged that Danley, who is an Australian citizen, was abroad at the time of Sunday’s shooting which ended with 58 dead and 527 wounded.
Paddock checked into a suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay on Thursday 28; bringing with him an arsenal of weapons including two AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifles.
They are understood to have been used when he opened fire on a 22,000-strong crowd attending a country music festival across the street, late on Sunday evening.
Paddock, a regular gambler who lived in Mesquite, Nevada, had long been a fan of video poker, according to his brother, and in recent weeks, had gambled five-figure sums repeatedly.
Scene of carnage: Paddock checked in using his girlfriend’s platinum membership card before turning the suite on the 32nd floor into a nest for his shooting spree
Crime scene: Paddock carried out the worst mass shooting in U.S. history from the Mandalay Bay’s 32nd floor
The multi-millionaire, who occupied a $400,000 home, is understood have made much of his money through property development and topped up his income via gambling.
Despite his gambling habit, those who knew him said they were shocked by what happened, with one ex-girlfriend telling DailyMail.com that he was a ‘very nice man’.
Connie McCain, 69, of Henderson, Nevada, said she remembered the 64-year-old shooter as a ‘very nice man’ but lost touch with him in recent years.
Speaking exclusively to this website, she said: ‘I had no idea he could do something like this – none at all. I’m absolutely as shocked as anyone.
McCain continued: ‘He was a nice man. I have no idea how he could do this – everyone that knows him is just taken aback. It’s horrifying.’
The 69-year-old, who is originally from California, said she met the gunman during her time there, before the pair moved to Henderson together.
But in recent years, the duo have drifted apart with the 69-year-old telling DailyMail.com that she hasn’t seen him for nearly a decade.
She said: ‘I did know him well – I met him years ago – but I haven’t seen him for nearly 10 years. We met in California, I’m from California originally as well.’
Parts of the Strip remain closed off this morning, with a police cordon stretched across the southern end of South Las Vegas Boulevard, close to the city’s McCarran International Airport.
The Mandalay Bay, a huge 3,309-room property, has reopened, although the front remains partially taped off.
FBI investigators were seen inside yesterday while guests who had rooms on the 32nd floor were forced to wait for bellboys to retrieve their possessions.
The large ground floor casino, where Paddock spent part of his final few days, has also reopened.