Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
After it broke yesterday that YG would be investigated for illegal gambling for playing high-stakes baccarat in Las Vegas, it was then revealed that Seungri would also be investigated on similar charges.
On the August 8 episode of the news show, it was stated that Yang Hyun Suk visited a VIP room at the MGM Hotel Casino in Las Vegas at least 11 times. It’s said that a person has to make a deposit of 1.5 billion won (approximately $1,241,000) to earn member status for this VIP room.
The police have found that Yang Hyun Suk bet over 1 billion won (approximately $827,300) and lost around 600 million won (approximately $496,200) of that. JTBC reports that Seungri visited the VIP room of this hotel casino four times, and bet 2 billion won (approximately $1,654,000). It’s said that he mainly played Baccarat and lost about 1.3 billion won (approximately $1,075,700). It’s reported that on each game, Yang Hyun Suk and Seungri would put down anywhere from 3 million won (approximately $2,480) to 10 million won (approximately $8,270). Through an association for Nevada casinos, the police have acquired records of when Yang Hyun Suk and Seungri entered the casino, the number of times they gambled, how much they gambled, and whether they won or lost. JTBC states that the internal investigation on this matter has changed to an official investigation, and the police will soon be calling in both Yang Hyun Suk and Seungri.
Seungri had previously been suspected of gambling due to his text message conversations, but had claimed that didn’t happen and he was just bluffing and lying. Naturally, one might question why we should believe somebody who admitted to lying in regards to that when they get in trouble, and perhaps we might soon have the answer to what happened.
Anyway, all this aside, can I just note here how amusing it is that they were the whales for the casino to bilk out of millions. Shit, I’d give them VIP treatment too for losing that much.
Furthermore, it’s reported that YG’s gambling fell into the habitual territory and he’s suspected of participating in overseas gambling since the early 2000s in Macau.
Now, JTBC’s “Newsroom” is reporting that the police are investigating whether Yang Hyun Suk engaged in overseas gambling in Macau. The report states that Yang Hyun Suk has been known to frequent casinos in Macau since the early 2000s. Similarly to the Las Vegas case, Yang Hyun Suk reportedly engaged in gambling in VIP rooms at the MGM Hotel in Macau. Furthermore, the report alleges that Yang Hyun Suk would bet somewhere between 7.5 million to 15 million won (about $6000-$12,400) per round. A source who also engaged in gambling in the same casino stated, “Mr. Yang could borrow any amount from the casino on credit even when he didn’t have cash. The bill collector would then go to Korea to be repaid in cash.” This would be a form of “hwanchigi,” a term that refers to illegal practices surrounding foreign exchange transactions. JTBC states that the police suspect that the amount of funds spent in illegal gambling in Macau was far greater than the amount spent in the United States because it was relatively easier to move money between Macau and South Korea.
Again, I don’t think gambling is a big deal, but it would be hilarious if after all the fuckery these two have been involved in over the years, this is what they actually face legal consequences for.
And it might be serious if the habitual part comes true, as Shin Jung Hwan can tell you after he was sentenced to eight months in prison following multiple violations and effectively had his career ended. An extreme case given that mess, but an example of how almost comically serious it can be.
Worth noting that while gambling is one thing, the loaning and exchanging part of this might be something that actually got the government interested as that could come with tax evasion consequences.
