Major online gaming company VGW confirmed Thursday that founder and CEO Laurence Escalante has temporarily stepped aside as CEO following assault and drug charges.
Key Takeaways
- The VGW founder allegedly broke into his ex-partner’s home, assaulted her, damaged property, and stole jewelry.
- Escalante is facing a total of eight charges.
- The company announced Escalante has temporarily stepped away.
Escalante appeared in an Australian court Thursday after he allegedly assaulted his ex-partner, stole jewelry, and damaged property Monday. Police found a trafficable amount of cocaine and MDMA when they raided his Perth, Western Australia, home during the investigation, according to the Australian Financial Review, citing police documents.
VGW released a statement on Escalante’s “leave of absence.”
Enjoying Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account“We are aware of the serious charges made against Mr. Escalante. These are unrelated to VGW and personal in nature,” a VGW spokesperson said. However, we can confirm Mr Escalante will be taking a leave of absence from his role as CEO and Executive Chairman of VGW. In the interim, we have installed experienced leadership from our existing executive team to take on those responsibilities, and it remains business as usual for VGW.
“The company takes any allegations of this nature extremely seriously. As this is a private matter and remains before the courts, we cannot comment further.”
Serious charges
Escalante, 44, faces eight charges, including aggravated assault, aggravated home burglary, theft, criminal damage, and three three counts of possessing prohibited drugs with intent to sell or supply, per the Financial Review.
Police also charged him with persistent family violence over six months ending January 2026 involving his 24-year-old former partner.
VGW’s U.S. issues
Escalante founded VGW in 2010 and opened several online slot casinos in the U.S., using popular brands like Chumba Casino, LuckyLand Slots, and Global Poker to build a company with an estimated worth of $3.1 billion.
VGW has run into several legal issues in U.S. states like Michigan, Delaware, and West Virginia, which have forced the online gaming company to exit those markets. VGW offers dual-currency games that have come under fire in recent years.
California and New York passed a law late last year prohibiting sweepstakes casinos from operating there. Tennessee and Indiana have taken steps to do the same in 2026.
