By Lucy Manly For Daily Mail Australia
14:52 27 May 2024, updated 16:45 27 May 2024
- Laurence Escalante made his fortune through gaming apps
- Since his divorce, the mogul has been linked to a string of women
The Australian billionaire behind an online gaming empire is turning heads on the French Riviera alongside a bevy of beauties following his marriage split.
Laurence Escalante is fast earning a reputation as a ladies’ man after attending the Cannes Film Festival alongside OnlyFans ‘creator’ Corinna Kopf.
He is believed to have wooed Ms Kopf by offering to fly her from the U.S. to Perth to check out his car collection – and his bold gambit seems to have worked a charm.
Mr Escalante, 42, is the founder of one of Australia’s largest private companies, Virtual Gaming Worlds (VGW), which operates the wildly popular app Chumba Casino that lets players ‘experience the thrill’ of slot machines without spending real money.
Customers at the virtual ‘Chumba Casino’ can play games such as poker, bingo and slots (known in Australia as ‘pokies’) without parting with their hard-earned cash – although gamers do have the option to buy virtual currencies to play with if they wish.
Thanks to the success of his pseudo-gambling business, Mr Escalante is one of his country’s youngest billionaires with an estimated fortune of $3.9billion, according to the Australian Financial Review.
Ms Kopf, 28, is an American OnlyFans model known for being the ex-girlfriend of YouTuber-turned-WWE superstar Logan Paul.
According to a well-placed source, the pair met via social media and the billionaire flew Ms Kopf out to Perth to view his extensive car collection.
The two were last week seen lapping up the French Riviera sun in Cannes and Monaco alongside fellow Australian Rich-Lister James Packer.
Since splitting from his wife and mother of his four children, Sarita Escalante, in 2018, Mr Escalante has been linked to a number of women.
Escalante was in a long-term relationship with Perth lawyer Sian Whyte after his marriage ended, with the pair sharing loved-up photos together on social media.
They quietly split in 2022 and he moved on with Erin Snape, who is understood to be an acquaintance of Ms Whyte’s.
However, she too eventually disappeared from his Instagram, and he was soon spotted with a series of young women, including Perth model Jacinta Constantine.
Ms Constantine was spotted by his side at the Melbourne Grand Prix in March. The two also later travelled to Japan for a holiday.
In 2022, Escalante joined the ranks of Australia’s richest people, with an estimated net worth of $2.15billion.
Mr Escalante, known for documenting his lavish lifestyle on social media, is unafraid to spend his money and regularly shows off his expensive toys on Instagram, including a Lamborghini Tecnomar 63 yacht and a Bombardier private jet.
He is also passionate about fast cars and has invested in a car modification business, Beyond Custom, as well as a training and coaching business, Arise Racing.
He is said to have Australia’s biggest private supercar and ‘hypercar’ collection, and has signed a sponsorship deal with the Ferrari F1 racing team.
Last year, two of his Lamborghini Aventador Ultimaes were involved in a bungle at the hands of Crown valet staff in Perth.
The two supercars, each worth $1million, are the last iteration of the Italian car manufacturer’s popular Aventador model – but they are just two of the many expensive items the billionaire owns.
While he now lives a luxury lifestyle with regular superyacht trips from Western Australia’s beautiful beaches, the businessman has humble beginnings, having started his professional life flipping burgers at Hungry Jack’s.
But as his partying and spending heats up, investors are becoming increasingly concerned Virtual Gaming Worlds may never go public.
Some investors were unhappy with Mr Escalante’s decision, announced last March, to sponsor the Ferrari F1 team.
They argued it was more based on his personal passions rather than widening VGW’s recognition in the U.S., a contention that was disputed by Mr Escalante.