Prior to the shooting, Paddock had been at the Mandalay Bay casino for four days and had not done anything out of the ordinary to garner the attention of hotel security.
He had simply been gambling. While it is possible that he was simply blending in to maintain his cover and wait for the moment to strike, the fact that he used his girlfriend’s slot machine card seems completely out of the ordinary.
For those that don’t know, slot cards or gambling cards are ways casinos track loyal customers. When you rack up enough points, they will comp a room or a meal for you. Paddock was playing with this card—essentially planning for future comps—on the very night he opened fire on a crowd of 22,000 people.
Blending in is one thing, but racking up points to plan for future benefits on the night you are going to commit mass murder seems glaringly inconsistent.