VGW appointed Mats Johnson acting CEO after founder and executive chairman Laurence Escalante was charged by police in Western Australia and took a leave of absence, the company said. Johnson had been VGW president after serving as chief marketing officer and as a director and executive team member.
The appointment sets interim leadership at VGW while Escalante is on leave and the charges remain before the courts.
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Virtual Gaming Worlds said founder, chief executive and executive chairman Laurence Escalante has resigned. Mats Johnson will continue as acting CEO while the company searches globally for a permanent chief executive. Escalante had been on leave since January, the company said.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed separate lawsuits against Kalshi and VGW on Wednesday, alleging that both offered illegal gambling in the state. He seeks financial penalties, customer-loss restitution and unpaid taxes; Kalshi did not respond to a request for comment before publication.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin filed separate suits on Wednesday against Kalshi, a prediction markets operator, and VGW, a sweepstakes operator. The complaints say both firms run unlawful gambling in the state. Griffin also wants large monetary penalties, with money returned to customers and tax payments returned to the state.
Alabama governor candidate Tommy Tuberville said he would not obstruct efforts to let voters decide whether to authorise gambling, reportedly. A referendum would require a three-fifths majority in both legislative chambers before voters could consider a constitutional amendment; Tuberville said he would not promote a proposal without a full plan.
Tommy Tuberville, the Republican candidate for governor of Alabama, said he would not block an effort to let voters decide whether to authorise gambling in the state, according to an interview with the Capital Journal. Tuberville, a former Auburn Tigers football coach who has represented Alabama in the US Senate since 2021, is seeking the governor's office in the election on 3 November. The Alabama Constitution bars the legislature from authorising any new form of gambling, including casinos, lotteries and sports betting; changing that would require a statewide ballot referendum amending the state's legal framework.
Arizona’s Department of Gaming reportedly said it still considers VGW’s activities illegal and is assessing possible enforcement action. The department issued a cease-and-desist order in November 2024, while VGW disputed that its sweepstakes platforms fall under state gambling laws. VGW has not commented on its continued Arizona operations, according to the report.
A spokesperson for the state's gaming regulator, Jessica Roza, said the agency's view of VGW's conduct remains that it is unlawful, and that it is weighing what enforcement steps to take. In November 2024, the Arizona Department of Gaming told VGW to stop through a cease-and-desist order. Nearly two years on, the operator of Chumba Casino, Global Poker and Luckyland Slots is said to be still running in the state.
Wyoming’s Select Committee on Gaming unanimously sponsored draft legislation to ban online sweepstakes games and make their operation a felony. The proposal seeks to clarify which state body handles complaints; representatives for Bally’s and VGW challenged aspects of the draft, while the Wyoming Gaming Commission said the current referral process creates a recurring cycle.