Updated ,first published
West Australian tech billionaire Laurence Escalante has faced court charged with family violence and drug-related offences, accused of assaulting his 24-year-old ex-partner.
The 44-year-old owner of the Virtual Gaming Worlds empire, which operates a network of casino-style online games in the United States, appeared in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday morning to face eight charges, including persistently engaging in family violence and criminal damage or destruction of property.
Escalante has also been charged with stealing, aggravated home burglary, unlawful assault and possession of cocaine and MDMA with intent to sell or supply.
Police prosecutors told the court that Escalante was arrested at his Perth home on Thursday after an incident that unfolded on Monday evening between him and his former partner.
They allege that the 24-year-old woman had been in a relationship with Escalante for 12 months before it ended in December.
She told police she had fallen asleep early on Monday evening before being woken to missed calls and “angry” messages from her former partner.
He then allegedly arrived at her home and forced his way into her bedroom before allegedly striking her “in the face with a closed fist”.
The woman allegedly fell to the ground before police allege Escalante locked himself in a bedroom and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewellery, including a Cartier watch and bracelets.
Prosecutors also told the court the complainant additionally alleged that Escalante assaulted her on multiple other occasions over the course of their relationship, including on trips to Mykonos, Singapore and Bali.
The court heard that in July 2025, Escalante allegedly assaulted the victim by punching her in the face while they were being driven in a car. When she asked the driver for assistance, he allegedly “ignored her request for assistance and turned the music up”.
The victim claimed she sought medical treatment for her injuries in Paris.
On another occasion, the woman claims Escalante “became furious” before punching and kicking her repeatedly in the lower body and legs.
Prosecutors alleged Escalante showed a repeated pattern of “coercive, violent and controlling behaviour” throughout the course of the relationship.
The billionaire, who had a team of lawyers attend his hearing on Friday, requested for the details of his charges be suppressed from publication because of a threat to his safety.
The court heard Escalante held concerns he was the target of kidnapping and extortion plans by organised crime gangs because of his wealth, however the request was denied.
Police also alleged that upon searching his home on Thursday they found in Escalante’s possession 30 grams of cocaine, 18 grams of methamphetamine and 12.2 grams of ketamine.
On Friday evening Escalante’s company, VGW, released a statement saying that he would be stepping down as CEO of the company in the wake of the charges.
“We are aware of the serious charges made against Mr Escalante,” a spokesperson for the company said.
“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. 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 44-year-old was granted bail with strict conditions to report three times a week and had to front up a bond of $100,000. The court was told Escalante plans to fight the charges.
Escalante ranked 35th on the Australian Financial Review Rich List last year with a net worth of $4.5 billion, up 20 per cent on the previous year.
Last week, it was announced VGW had inked a “multi-year partnership” with US wrestling behemoth WWE for the gambling company’s brands to “collaborate … across multiple platforms, providing premium entertainment experiences for millions of players and fans across the United States”.
Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.