Laurence Escalante resigns from online casino empire amid ongoing domestic violence, drugs charges
Laurence Escalante, the Perth-based billionaire founder of Virtual Gaming Worlds, resigned as chairman after being charged with domestic violence and drug offenses earlier this year.
A statement from Escalante’s thriving online casino group was released late Friday afternoon; His company cited ongoing criminal charges brought against him by WA police in announcing his resignation.
It was stated that Escalante chose to resign to focus on his philanthropic work. He also resigned from many companies in which he was previously a partner.
Escalante, 44, who owns the Virtual Gaming Worlds empire, which operates a network of casino-style online games in the United States, now faces a number of charges including persistent involvement in domestic violence and criminal damage or destruction of property.
He signaled that he would fight against the accusations.
“Mr Escalante has been on leave since January, when the company became aware of allegations against Mr Escalante by WA Police of a personal nature and unrelated to VGW,” the statement said.
“Currently, VGW has appointed senior executive Mats Johnson as acting CEO to lead the business alongside its experienced executive leadership team. Mr Johnson will remain acting CEO as the company embarks on a global search for this key leadership role.
“Mr. Escalante notified the company that he has decided to resign to focus on personal matters as well as his investment and philanthropic interests in the family office.”
Johnson was first appointed to the role in January as support for Escalante, with the company boasting “digital and gaming industry experience across both public and private businesses globally and expertise in VGW businesses.”
Johnson praised his former colleague, paying tribute to the founder of VGW in Perth 16 years ago.
“[Escalante] “We have pioneered a new social gaming category that is now a major market in the US, the world’s largest consumer and gaming market, providing world-class entertainment to millions of gamers,” he said.
“We thank Laurence for these and many other achievements and contributions at VGW, and for the trust he has placed in us and all of our 1,300 team members to continue VGW’s successes into the future.”
