Charges filed against billionaire Adrian ‘Lambo Guy’ Portelli as he’s celebrated for charitable acts

An Australian billionaire has responded after being charged by South Australian authorities.

Adrian Portelli and his business Xclusive Tech Pty Ltd, which trades as LMCT+, have had charges brought against them by South Australia’s Consumer and Business Services.

It comes just a day after the 35-year-old — otherwise known as “Lambo Guy” — was praised for giving away a reported $150,000 in grocery vouchers at two Coles locations in Western Sydney as cost-of-living relief.

Portelli has been charged with nine counts of conducting or assisting in the conduct of an unlawful lottery, while his business has been charged with 10 counts of the same offence.

Within hours, Portelli had posted on the LMCT+ Instagram account, writing: “It’s okay SA we still love you.”

“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,” he said.

“We still love you and I’ll definitely be visiting to do more grocery voucher handouts.”

LMCT+ markets itself as a “shopping tool and rewards club”.

There are three membership tiers available, charging $19.99, $49.99 or $99.99 per month.

While the platform offers customers the benefits of a rewards program, it also holds regular giveaways.

The first prize in these giveaways can range from a new car to major cash prizes of $500,000 and $1,000,000.

Each membership tier for the platform comes with a different monthly amount of accumulating entries into the giveaways.

Consumer and Business Service alleges unlawful lottery activity was carried out between January 29, 2023, and May 16, 2024.

The matter is set to be mentioned in Adelaide Magistrate’s Court on January 15.

Thousands of people lined up in the heat on Wednesday for free groceries, courtesy of the Melbourne billionaire.

Portelli chartered a private jet to Sydney, giving away free supermarket vouchers in Penrith and Fairfield West.

He also revealed he is building a hospital in Penrith for high-needs patients.

It is not the first time the billionaire businessman has pulled off a similar stunt, having recently handed out tens of thousands of dollars worth of gift vouchers to Coles shoppers in South Australia.

Long queues stretched outside the door of the Munno Para supermarket in November, with Portelli claiming he had given away $75,000 to those in need. He then repeated the act at the Port Adelaide store about midday on the same day.