Gambling billionaire Laurence Escalante charged with assault, burglary, and drug offences

Laurence Escalante, the billionaire founder of gambling brand Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), has been charged with assault, burglary, and drug offences.

The betting magnate’s charges were brought forward in Perth Magistrates Court in Western Australia, where it was alleged that he persistently engaged in family violence, causing bodily harm to individuals, broke into multiple properties, and was in possession of Class A drugs.

Escalante faces serious allegations

The charges laid against VGW’s Escalante on Friday, 30 January 2026, show offences that carry substantial penalties in relation to persistent family violence, aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, and drug supply offences.

They include “trafficable quantities” of cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine, which have resulted in the three counts of possessing drugs with intent to sell or supply.

The billionaire will have a chance to appeal and contest the charges laid against him, but has made a public statement via a gambling news outlet, The Straight.

“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 for both mine and my family’s privacy be respected, and thank them for their support,” said Escalante.

Perth Now has reported that the businessman has met the $100,000 bail bond and has been subject to remaining in Western Australia and to a restraining order on contacting those identified as possible victims.

VGW speaks out in light of the Escalante allegations

A VGW spokesperson stated to ReadWrite that “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.”

The company has made a conscious decision to separate Escalante from VGW’s daily operations. This will likely remain the case until the senior executive appears again in Perth Magistrates Court on February 26, 2026.

“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,” the spokesperson concluded.

Featured image: VGW Facebook.

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