LOS ANGELES - Kevin Federline might play the part of the pauper to his pop princess ex-wife Britney Spears, but in Las Vegas he is king.

Federline spent over $43,000 on Las Vegas hotels, dining and shopping between May 2007 and January of this year, according to documents filed by Federline's attorney in his custody battle with Spears. The documents were released by the Superior Court on Thursday.

The tabs included $1,445 for clothing at Gianni Versace, $3,863 at TAO nightclub, and $3,008 at the Hard Rock Beach Club.

He appears determined not to be branded a cheap tipper. At Scores strip club, he dropped a cool $2,000 on a $365 meal bill.

Meanwhile, his company, Gooseneck Productions, Inc., spent $841,129 in 2007 while earning $544,075, according to the documents.

The aspiring rapper also spent big on attempts to prop up his struggling music career.

Federline had $74,102 in "music production" expenses, but earned only $9,849 in "music income," according to the documents, which did not elaborate.

The Superior Court commissioner dealing with the Federline-Spears custody battle has consistently awarded Federline attorneys fees.

In March, Spears' divorce attorney, Stacy Phillips, argued that Federline's attorneys were overbilling, and her client should not be required to pay.

Phillips said that Federline tipped extravagantly. Indeed, a credit card statement showed a $1,100 tip for a $2,782 bill at a Los Angeles restaurant.

Federline still owed $343,834 in fees to his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, when the documents released Thursday were filed in January.

Spears pays her ex-husband $15,000 per month in child support for 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James. Her monthly spousal support payments of $20,000 ended in November.

The accounting statement mixes personal expenses, like $1,500 per week for a nanny to care for the two toddlers, and business expenses, like $2,500 per month for his manager.

The bulk of Federline's income came from his work on a Nationwide car insurance commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. Federline was paid $377,000 for playing a fry cook who dreams of being a rap star, wearing fur coats and flashing huge diamond rings.

He earned $15,000 for appearing at his 29th birthday party at Pure nightclub in Las Vegas, and $50,000 for a series of appearances at Las Vegas clubs in December 2007.

Federline also pays $18,228 per month in child support, rent and private school tuition for his two children from a previous relationship.

Source: AP