Lambo Guy Adrian Portelli charged by SA authorities over conduct of giveaway business LMCT+
Billionaire Adrian Portelli hosted a penthouse party as he boldly vowed to continue offering cash giveaways despite being hit with a string of charges over the alleged illegal operation of his business.
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Lambo Guy Adrian Portelli has boldly declared he will continue to offer cash giveaways to LMCT+ members in South Australia despite being slapped with a string of charges in that state over the alleged illegal operation of his lucrative business.
The Melbourne-based billionaire faces nine counts of person-conduct/assist in the conduct of an unlawful lottery, while his business Xclusive Tech Pty Ltd – which trades as LCMT + giveaway – faces 10 counts of the same charge, court documents obtained by the Herald Sun revealed.
It is alleged the business did not hold a licence to conduct lotteries in South Australia.
The father-of-one – and also face of the hugely successful online business – is accused of assisting those operations by “drawing the lottery”.
As news of the charges broke on Thursday, a defiant Portelli took to Instagram to reveal he was hosting a party at his multimillion-dollar penthouse in Melbourne CBD – complete with a live DJ.
“Did someone say penthouse party,” a beaming Portelli wrote, sharing a brief clip carrying his young son Mercy as friends gathered in the background near a luxury sports car.
Actress Nicky Whelan, who only recently returned to live in Australia from LA, and DJ Havana Brown were in attendance.
Whelan shared her own post to Instagram during the festivities, describing Portelli as an “absolute legend.”
At one point as the party continued, a spirited Portelli appeared to take to the DJ decks as his guests watched on, before taking part in a ‘shooey’.
And Taking to his LCMT+ Instagram overnight, the 35-year-old hit back at South Australian authorities, vowing to continue to offer the cash giveaways.
“It’s okay SA we still love you,” Portelli captioned a selfie with his baby son.
“Your gambling commissioner won’t allow you to win major life changing prizes so I’ve decided to run exclusive, daily $1000 cash giveaways to you guys instead.
“We still love you and I’ll definitely be visiting to do more grocery voucher handouts
“Sign up now to become a member.”
South Australian authorities, who launched the investigation in September last year, alleged the business illegally operated in the state from January 29, 2023 until as recently as May 16 this year.
Portelli is due to appear in South Australian Magistrates’ Court on January 15 and, if convicted on all charges, he could face a maximum penalty of $190,000.
One charge laid against Xclusive relates to the January 29 giveaway in which the winners could choose between a $4.25m Gisborne property, featured in the 2022 season of The Block, or a $3m cash prize.
That same property became the subject of global headlines last year when CCTV showed Portelli and his associates removing a number of goods from the property.
The Rich Lister, 35, denied any wrongdoing at the time.
Other charges laid against either Portelli or LMCT+ related to the lotteries of a $228,000 Toyota LandCruiser, a $5000 Devil Yellow HSV VZ, and a cash prize of $250,000.
A Hampton East property, which featured on the 2023 season of The Block, was also the subject of one charge against the company.
LMCT+ operates as a “trade promotion” – a loosely-regulated type of lottery originally designed to allow businesses to attract trade by rewarding customers with prizes – under a license issued in New South Wales.
More than 300,000 customers reportedly subscribe to the online business, which offers memberships ranging from $20 to a $100 a month.
In October last year, this masthead approached regulators in all states and territories except Western Australia with detailed questions about LMCT+’s compliance with gambling laws.
The Herald Sun first revealed Portelli, who made headlines this week after dishing out $150,000 of groceries to members of the public, was the subject of two investigations by authorities in both South Australia and Victoria.
NSW’s Office of Fair Trading said at the time that it has investigated LMCT+ last year but found no evidence the law had been broken.
Portelli has been approached for comment.
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