Charlot123
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The FBI estimated SP's wealth at between 1.5-2.0 million dollars at the time of the rampage. This made him "have everything" by ordinary person standards, but not by casino whale standards. Rather, SP's wealth made him a junior whale- and that status was all SP seemed to value in life. This status, however, was slowly but steadily declining.
In the end, SP did not have the guts to win. Instead, he had the guts, video algorithim familiarity and liquid assets to well, lose slowly- but still lose in the end.
In their brief write up, the FBI related that SP was gradually losing the ability to fund his whale status.
In addition, I suspect that SP was also gradually losing the work discipline and business insights to generate substantial amounts of additional wealth. Thus, he only had what was in the tank- and the tank, despite periodic refills from winnings, was gradually going dry.
(Snipped)
The SP's "highs" were detailed by friends and family who noted that SP liked and expected the attention given to him by managers and that he enjoyed being waited on.
On some occasions, he had enough whale status to extend the attention to family as one admiring brother related that they were customarily personally greeted and brought "the biggest shrimp" by a restaurant manager. Likewise, casino employees noted that he was high maintenance, but strangely given the rampage, not truly exploitive.
Very interesting. It probably makes sense in the context of what @Ozoner posted about SP. Casino embodied not only the status, though. The friendship, too.
I think the reason SP was not exploitive with casino employees was because he viewed them through the prism of friendship. He was isolated, introverted, somewhat irritable, and anyhow, to keep a real circle of friends requires investment, time and finances. Finances he did not want to spend, unless on himself. But in the casinos, he was known, greeted by the name, welcomed and catered to. You know, the casinos are really great at creating the uber-welcoming ambience, even for people who never gamble, and if one does, they probably make your entrance a holiday, and this, too, is a huge attraction. Sort of a moveable feast, the Strip. Hence, not only it became his life, it was the only life in which he (as the smaller whale) was acknowledged. And I think - realistic as he was, for him the perks he was given could be the tokens of friendship. His girlfriend he met in the casino and through the casino (however, she was likable, and the only human side of him ended up being seen through her).
If he was slowly losing his winning ability, for whatever reason, he risked losing not only his whale status, but that semblance of friendship, and or all places and people in the world, his existence was meaningful only for the Strip.