Santa wins big on slot machine and showers ecstatic shoppers with hundreds of dollars

Christmas came early for shoppers at a mall in the United States when a man dressed as Santa Claus showered bystanders with $1,000 in single dollar bills.

Tyler Ketz sent ecstatic shoppers into a frenzy as he tossed the money down four storeys at Minnesota's Mall of America.

"Truly one of the coolest things I've gotten to be apart of," Ryan Flores wrote in his post on Facebook. "One of my best friends had an idea to throw 1000$ in 1's from the top floor of the Mall of America."

Flores's video from Saturday (December 2) shows how Ketz opened a zipper bag stuffed with cash and emptied it over a balcony to unsuspecting shoppers below.

However, security were not impressed by the act of generosity and banned Ketz and his friend from the mall for 24 hours. They said the stunt created an "unsafe" environment for shoppers.

"Mall of America welcomes acts of kindness every day – especially during the holiday season," the Mall of America said in a statement. "However, this incident created an unsafe environment for our guests – many of whom began reaching over the railings to grab the money being thrown into the space."

According to Flores, Ketz had just won $6,000 on a slot machine and decided he wanted to give some of his winnings away to spread Christmas cheer. "It is truly better to give than receive," he said.

Another shopper said that the experience was "magical" and was great way to mark her eight-year-old daughter's birthday. She said: "Saturday was my daughters 8th Birthday. We had just arrived at the mall with her & her friend to go on rides. We took the first elevator down to the first floor and when we turned the corner money was falling! She was able to get $1 and will forever have the memory that it rained money on her 8th Birthday!!! #magical"

Opened in 1992, Mall of America remains one of America's largest shopping centres and welcomes millions of people through its doors each year. In 2012 another video surfaced of a man throwing cash from the site's atrium.