Written by :
Published on :
Virtual Gaming Worlds billionaire founder Laurence Escalante appeared in a Perth, Australia court last week to face multiple criminal charges that include aggravated assault occasioning bodily harm, aggravated home burglary, theft, and criminal damage or destruction of property.
Jesinta Burton of The Financial Review highlighted the incident that resulted in Escalante being forced to vacate the helm of the empire he built, and which has amassed a fortune estimated at more than $4.5 billion according to the Financial Review Rich List. That empire includes popular sweepstakes poker site Global Poker and Chumba Casino, among others.
If convicted, it could cost him everything.
From The Financial Review:
According to court documents obtained by the Financial Review, the woman, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had been asleep for more than two hours before being woken by her sister and informed Escalante had been attempting to reach her.
Police prosecutors claim it took less than 30 minutes for Escalante to gain access to the woman’s residence, where he began yelling and demanding she pack her bags and vacate the premises.
The 44-year-old allegedly pushed past the woman, grabbing her hair and making his way to her bedroom, where the pair became engaged in a scuffle on the floor of the walk-in robe.
After breaking free of her grasp, the woman claims Escalante began raiding her wardrobe and demanding the return of $350,000 worth of luxury items he had gifted her over their 12-month relationship.
The victim alleges that Escalante struck her in the face while the victim's sister claimed he stole items Police would capture him three days later.
Police prosecutors told the court they allegedly found $150,000 in stolen goods in Escalante’s bedroom safe, including a $25,000 Rolex, Cartier bracelets and a pair of diamond earrings.
The court heard that officers also uncovered trafficable quantities of drugs, including more than 12.2 grams of ketamine, 18 grams of MDMA and more than 30 grams of cocaine.
Escalante declined to speak to police, who allege the incident on January 26 was part of a pattern of abuse, detailing three separate assaults between June 2025 and January 2026.
The 44-year-old was granted bail on a $100,000 personal undertaking and strict conditions, which prevent him from contacting the complainant.
Despite stepping down from his role at VGW, Escalante has publicly denied the recent criminal charges filed against him.
The incident comes at a time when over a dozen states have expressed concerns or implemented outright ban of sweepstakes casinos.
These states include:
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Idaho
- Louisiana (withdrawn / prize play ended)
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Washington
Chumba Casino was recently forced out of the most populous state in the US. Chumba Casino can no longer offer sweepstakes play (Sweeps Coins) or redeemable prizes to California residents. As of the start of 2026, platforms using the dual-currency sweepstakes model are illegal to operate or market within the state.
- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com
