Summer just got even hotter for Seungri.
The former BigBang singer, along with former YG Entertainment chief Yang Hyun-suk, are feeling the heat after claims surfaced that they gambled in Las Vegas.
The illegal use of foreign currency is a crime in South Korea.
The latest allegation adds to others that Seungri has already been hit with, such as the procurement of prostitutes for would-be investors and embezzlement of funds.
According to the episode of news show Newsroom on Thursday (Aug 8), Seungri was a VIP guest at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on four occasions, chalking up losses of more than US$1 million (S$1.38 million).
Yang, who stepped down from YG recently after its artists were implicated in a growing K-pop scandal, was said to have frequented the same casino on 11 occasions, and lost more than US$500,000.
The Korean authorities reportedly have started an inquiry, with punters expecting them to tap the customer records kept by the casino to build up their case.
Leaks of Seungri's chatroom messages have also pointed to his high-stakes gambling, though he has brushed off the talk as just his way to impress his acquaintances.
The K-pop scandal, which started in January, has seen the exits of several artists and caused embarrassment for others.
Psy, for example, admitted that he was at a dinner attended by Yang and disgraced Malaysian businessman Jho Low but shot down speculation that he was aware of improper activity that night.
