Resorts World Manila gunman a problem gambler, not a terrorist

Philippine authorities have confirmed that the gunman whose attempted robbery of the Resorts World Manila casino resulted in 37 deaths was a man with gambling problems, not a terrorist.

This weekend, Philippine police released a statement identifying the gunman who attacked the casino early Friday morning as Jessie Javier Carlos, a 42-year-old Philippine national. The statement said Carlos was a former Department of Finance staffer who’d been discharged in 2014 for failing to reveal all his assets on mandatory financial disclosure documents.

According to police spokesman Oscar Albayalde, Carlos owed over P4m (US $80k) in bank debt as well as an undisclosed amount to private lenders “due to being hooked on casino gambling.” Albayalde said interviews with Carlos’ family members indicated that he’d been forced to sell his car and a family property to help pay his debts.

Carlos, who took his own life at the conclusion of his rampage, was a reputed high-volume gambler who placed minimum bets of P40k ($800) at multiple Philippine casinos but not at Resorts World Manila. On April 3, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) banned Carlos from entering any Philippine casinos following a request from his family members.