Inside the dark, fantasy world of millionaire 'whales' at casinos, who receive ridiculous perks and are under harsh scrutiny since the Las Vegas shooting

It's in casinos' best interests to persuade gamblers to come back again and again and to stay as long as possible — often in the resort attached to the casino — so they roll out the red carpet and pile on the perks.

However, in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting earlier this month, questions have been raised about whether these perks could be abused. The gunman, Stephen Paddock, reportedly had high-roller status in at least one Las Vegas casino.

Here's a look into the lives of high rollers — and what these perks involve.

The most high-profile high rollers in the world of gambling are called "whales," people who regularly wager thousands or millions of dollars in a single night.

While poker players have the leading role in most high-roller legends, baccarat is the game of choice for most whales, says Shaun Kelley, a research analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

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Whales might wager $5 million in one night — so casinos want to persuade them to visit as much as possible.

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Casinos offer known whales perks like free luxury cars, discounts on gambling losses, and even shopping funds — which are especially helpful if they have a spouse who is less interested in spending hours in a casino.

Private concerts for high rollers are a classic ploy casinos use to persuade VIPs to visit more often.

The Cosmopolitan Las Vegas spent millions of dollars redesigning its highest floors, turning them into 21 penthouse suites, which were completed earlier this year.

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These penthouses and other hotel rooms are often discounted or comped by the casino if the gambler is known to bet big.

High-rolling VIPs play with other VIPs at reserved tables, typically near the main floor — or sometimes in "more exclusive and restricted-access areas," Kelley said.

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Even high rollers who don't quite meet whale status typically play in private rooms and receive other perks reserved for people willing to wager more money than the average gambler.

Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut would send a limo to the Boston home of Nick Varano, a high roller, two or three times a month to drive him to the casino. Varano told The Associated Press in 2006 that he would spend "a minimum of at least $1,000 to $10,000."

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Foxwoods would provide Varano and his friends food on the house — and that's just the start of the culinary benefits of gambling big.

Many hotel-casinos have upscale restaurants within their walls.

Joel Robuchon's restaurant in the Mansion at the MGM Grand is widely seen as Las Vegas' best. The restaurant critic Jay Rayner says the MGM offers high rollers a meal — which costs roughly $600 per person — for free.

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The perks high rollers enjoy have been cast in a darker light after the Las Vegas shooting earlier this month.

NBC News reported that the shooter, Stephen Paddock, was known as a high roller, sometimes gambling with more than $10,000 a day playing high-stakes video poker.

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Experts told USA Today that it was likely Paddock received perks such as rooms with better views, private check-in service, and an extra layer of privacy from hotel staff. (The New York Times reported that Paddock had a "do not disturb" sign hung on his door for his four-day stay in his suite on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, from which he opened fire on a crowd at a music festival across the street.)

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"If they want to hang a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door for four days, and anybody says it's unusual, then we say to leave them alone," Mike Wootan, a retired casino manager, told USA Today. "We don't want to go rattling their cages or make them feel uncomfortable."

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ABC News reported that officials said Paddock was able to use the Mandalay Bay's freight elevator as a high-roller perk, though it is unclear how Paddock used the elevator.

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