VGW (Global Poker, Chumba) CEO Laurence Escalante Arrested

The CEO of Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), 44-year-old Laurence Escalante, was arrested in Perth, Australia on Thursday, Jan. 29. He's facing charges related to assault, family violence, destruction of property, and drug possession.

What's Virtual Gaming Worlds?

VGW is an Australian online gaming company, headquartered in Perth, that was founded in 2010 by Escalante. In 2018, VGW began to be listed on PrimaryMarkets, a platform that enables trading shares in private firms. In 2025, Escalante bought out investors who owned 30% of the corporation, regaining sole ownership. VGW booked revenue of $6.1 billion for FY2024.

VGW operates multiple online gaming brands, including Global Poker, Chumba Casino, and Luckyland Slots. These companies use a sweepstakes model, which was pioneered by VGW, in order to get around anti-gambling laws by hosting a dual-currency system and claiming to be distributing sweepstakes prizes rather than gambling winnings.

The Major Brands Operated by VGW

What Did Laurence Escalante Do Wrong?

Most of the charges stem from a series of events spanning from June 2025 to January 2026 involving a 24-year-old former partner of Escalante's. Their relationship ended in December. The charges cover repeated behavior over that period of time rather than a single incident. Escalante allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend, damaged her property, and stole valuable items from her.

The latest incident that led to his arrest occurred on Monday, Jan. 26. The alleged victim told police that on that date, she had fallen asleep and woke up to several angry messages from Laurence. He then supposedly arrived at her house, entered unlawfully, and assaulted her. She said that Escalante then stole several expensive pieces of jewelry from her residence, including a Cartier watch.

The woman contended that while they were together, Escalante often attacked her physically. Among these alleged assaults were his punching her in the face while being driven in a car and another time when he “became furious” and began punching and kicking her in the legs and lower body.

Laurance Escalante was arrested on Thursday, Jan. 29 on charges related to his supposed mistreatment of this former partner. On the same day, officials searched his residence. They found 30 grams of cocaine, 18 grams of methamphetamine, and 12.2 grams of ketamine. These substances are what led to the drug-related charges.

Laurence Escalante appeared in court Friday, Jan. 30 and was released on $100,000 bond. He's required to report to the court twice a week and is barred from contacting the alleged victim in any way. His next scheduled court date is Feb. 26.

Reactions

Escalante indicated that he would be fighting the charges. He commented:

My arrest on these matters has come as a shock to myself and my family. From the little I know of the allegations at this stage, I can only say that they are untrue and will be defended. I ask that both mine and my family’s privacy be respected, and thank them for their support.

A spokesperson for VGW meanwhile said:

We are aware of the serious charges made against Mr. Escalante. These are unrelated to VGW and personal in nature. However, we can confirm Mr. Escalante will be taking a leave of absence from his role as CEO and Executive Chairman of VGW.

On Feb. 2, VGW announced that Mats Johnson would become Acting Chief Executive Officer. Johnson had already served as VGW's Chief Marketing Officer for more than 10 years.

Laurence Escalante Biographical Details

Laurence Escalante was born in November 1981. He attended Macquarie University, studying economics and actuarial studies. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Escalante worked as a financial planner and investment advisor.

Laurence Escalante

Though Escalante's biggest winner was VGW, which he founded in 2010, he also started a number of other businesses entities, like Anino Mobile in 2001 and White Knight Games in 2004.

By the year 2021, Laurence had begun to appear on the Financial Review Rich List with an estimated net worth of AU$2.68 billion (approximately US$2.07 billion). That same year, he founded the Lance East Office to assist him with his asset management and philanthropy. Today, he's worth about AU$4.5 billion (around US$3.19 billion).

VGW Facing Many Issues

Apart from the arrest of its CEO and founder, VGW is facing quite a few issues with its business model. Though it was initially very successful in promoting its form of sweepstakes gaming, it's now confronted with many problems.

Whereas the sweepstakes gaming model was virtually unknown when Chumba Casino debuted with it in 2012, this is not true anymore. Countless imitators have appeared to compete with VGW using the same business model, and they have chipped away at VGW's share of the sweepstakes gaming market, reducing it from close to 100% in 2012 to more like 50% now.

At the same time, legal developments in the United States, VGW's primary market, have been disappointing. State regulations in New York, California, New Jersey, Michigan, Washington, and nine other states mean that Global has had to stop accepting customers from those jurisdictions. Several other states have anti-sweepstakes gaming legislation working its way through the lawmaking process.

Even though VGW has shown several years of steady growth, it may now be poised for a serious reversal of fortune.

Other Gaming Sites Available

Those in the United States who currently play at Global Poker, Chumba Casino, or LuckyLand Slots may wish to seek out an alternative because of VGW's uncertain future. Fortunately, there are a number of offshore companies that operate using traditional online poker and casino methods without messing around with deceptive sweepstakes justifications.

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Feb. 13, 2026 – by Max Golden, Editor-in-Chief