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Laurence Escalante, founder and former CEO, resigns from Virtual Gaming Worlds

Legal Writer

Publish Date: Jul 07, 2026

Fact checked by: Matt Moreno

Key Points

Laurence Escalante has left the company after taking a leave of absence in January following an arrest on several charges
Virtual Gaming Worlds owns and operates prominent sweepstakes casinos active in the United States
Escalante still owns Virtual Gaming Worlds

Laurence Escalante, who founded the entertainment company Virtual Gaming Worlds and was its largest shareholder as its sweepstakes casinos rose to prominence in the United States, has officially resigned as the company’s CEO. His resignation puts Virtual Gaming Worlds on the hunt for a replacement as the legal status of its websites like Chumba Casino and LuckyLand slots in the U.S. is uncertain.

Escalante retains his sole ownership of Virtual Gaming Worlds, meaning that the company’s new CEO will still ultimately answer to him. For that reason, Escalante’s legal troubles might still have ramifications for the company and he may still have some influence on Virtual Gaming World’s decisions in responding to enforcement actions in the U.S.

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VGW announces Escalante’s departure as CEO

Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW) confirmed that Escalante stepped down as CEO in a press release as Primrose Riordan of the Australian Financial Review reported that Escalante’s net worth stood at approximately 3 billion Australian dollars (about 2 billion U.S. dollars). Escalante founded the company in 2010 and oversaw the public listing in 2016.

Escalante remained the company’s largest shareholder at that time and gradually increased his majority holdings to 70%. In August 2025, Escalante bought out the remaining shares to take VGW private again and named himself the company’s CEO.

Issues began to arise shortly after the transaction closed, culminating with Escalante’s arrest on charges related to altercations with a former romantic partner. Escalante faces 17 charges including aggravated assault, burglary, and drug possession.

That led to Escalante taking a leave of absence as CEO in January, which has now ended with his resignation. Mats Johnson, a senior executive with VGW, will occupy the role as the company searches for a permanent replacement.

At this time, VGW websites like Chumba Casino operate in most of the U.S. Given Escalante’s continued sole ownership of the company, that seems unlikely to change even as more state governments crack down on sweepstakes casinos.

Escalante’s influence on VGW could still be felt

If Escalante is convicted on the criminal charges he faces, that might affect his ownership of VGW. Barring that, new leadership at the company will continue to fall under his authority as sole owner of VGW.

To date, VGW has been selective in terms of compliance with attempts to curtail offerings on platforms like LuckyLand Slots by officials in various U.S. states. VGW sites do not operate in nine states.

Connecticut
Delaware
Maryland
Montana
Nevada
New Jersey
New York
Tennessee
West Virginia

However, several other states like Louisiana, Maine, and Oklahoma have passed anti-sweepstakes casino bans. Additionally, states like Illinois have sent cease-and-desist demands to VGW regarding sweepstakes casino offerings.

So far, VGW has not publicized any plans to restrict its business in any of those places. Additionally, VGW has stated that it will defend its operations in Kentucky after Attorney General Russell Coleman sued the company for alleged violations of state gambling laws.

VGW reported over 7 billion Australian dollars in revenue in its final fiscal year as a publicly traded company, so it’s easy to see why Escalante may still be involved as the company’s owner. His time as the CEO of VGW is over, though.

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