Lambo Guy Adrian Portelli asks Adelaide court to progress unlawful lottery allegations to trial ‘as quickly’ as possible
The Melbourne billionaire’s case was up in an SA court today but social media suggests it wasn’t the only item in his diary.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Billionaire entrepreneur Adrian “Lambo Guy” Portelli wants his unlawful lottery allegations case taken to trial in Adelaide “as quickly as possible”, his lawyer says – while his client samples artisan coffee back in Melbourne.
On Wednesday, Mr Portelli and his company, Xclusive Tech, were scheduled to face the Adelaide Magistrates Court on 19 counts of alleged regulatory offending.
An hour before the hearing, however, Mr Portelli posted a photo of a high-performance car, parked outside a Melbourne coffee roaster, to his Instagram.
“Taking Mercy’s car for a spin, thanks son” he wrote, referencing previous photos of his infant son in the vehicle’s drivers’ seat.
Mr Portelli was not legally required to attend court over the charges, and was represented by lawyer Ben Lodge.
“These matters are contested and both defendants (Mr Portelli and the company) will be pleading not guilty,” he told the court.
“There have been no negotiations, and we ask that these matters be listed for a pre-trial conference, and our preference is that be listed today.
“We’ve had discussions with our clients about putting this off to attempt to resolve the matter, and our instructions are that the matter is contested.
“We are keen to progress the matter to trial as quickly as we can.”
In December, Mr Portelli, 35, of Melbourne, was charged with nine counts of conducting or assisting in the conduct of an unlawful lottery.
His company Xclusive Tech Pty Ltd – which operates as LMCT + Giveaways – was charged with 10 counts of the same offence.
It is alleged Mr Portelli, who has an estimated personal worth of $1.29b, and the company committed the offences between January 29, 2023 and May 16, 2024.
It is further alleged the business did not hold a licence to conduct lotteries in SA, and that Mr Portelli assisted those operations by “drawing the lottery”.
They face a maximum $190,000 penalty – on social media, Mr Portelli said that, if convicted, he would “round it up to $200,000” provided authorities “stop wasting people’s money”.
On Wednesday, prosecutors said they had no objection to an expedient hearing, given they had “substantially completed” disclosure of the relevant evidence. The matter was adjourned to a pre-trial conference in March.
More Coverage
Originally published as Lambo Guy Adrian Portelli asks Adelaide court to progress unlawful lottery allegations to trial ‘as quickly’ as possible
Call for change as hate speech laws deemed not fit for purpose
Victoria’s most prominent Jewish leaders have written an urgent letter to the state government calling for a change to proposed new hate speech laws, as the Coalition shapes up to oppose the controversial legislation.
‘Moral collapse’: Newman slammed for interviewing neo-Nazis
AFL personality Sam Newman is facing criticism for inviting prominent neo-Nazis Thomas Sewell and Blair Cottrell onto his podcast, You Cannot Be Serious.