Lambo Guy Seeks Quick Trial on Lottery Charges in South Australia
Adrian Portelli, known as the Lambo Guy, is pushing for a speedy trial on unlawful lottery charges against him and his business.
Adrian Portelli, South Australia, Lottery Charges, Xclusive Tech, Lambo Guy, Gisborne
Adelaide: So, there’s this businessman named Adrian Portelli, right? He’s facing some serious charges for running an unlawful lottery. His lawyer is all about getting this sorted out quickly and wants to head straight to trial.
Portelli, who’s 35, is hit with nine counts of running or helping with an illegal lottery in South Australia. His company, Xclusive Tech, is in hot water too, facing ten counts. They didn’t have the proper license to run these lotteries, which is a big no-no.
He didn’t even have to show up in court recently. His lawyer, Ben Lodge, entered not guilty pleas for both Portelli and his company. The charges came from South Australia’s Consumer and Business Services, and they’re not messing around.
There’s been no deal made with the prosecution yet, and Lodge made it clear they want to get this trial moving. He asked the magistrate to set up a pre-trial conference, and they’re looking at March 6 for that.
Portelli’s business offers a rewards club where members can win cars and properties. But here’s the kicker: in South Australia, if you’re giving away prizes over $5,000, you need a license, and entries have to be free.
One of the big prizes was a property in Gisborne, Victoria, or a cash prize of $3 million. But the court documents say Portelli didn’t have the license to run this lottery in SA.
If found guilty, he could face a hefty fine of up to $190,000. He even joked on social media that if he gets convicted, he’d just round it up to $200,000.
After the charges were announced, he was still promoting giveaways on social media, saying he’d run daily $1,000 cash giveaways instead of the big prizes that the gambling commissioner wouldn’t allow.
Portelli became known as “the Lambo Guy” after showing up to a house auction in a flashy yellow Lamborghini last year. He made quite a splash, spending over $15 million to buy all five homes on the show The Block.