It’s certainly been a big year for Adrian Portelli, who was never far from the headlines in 2024.
And The Block billionaire, 35, has now taken to Instagram to share a video montage of his ‘controversial’ year.
The post, which was set to the strains of the ’90s Coolio hit Gangsta’s Paradise, opened with a raft of TV news reports mentioning Portelli.
The reports were referencing charges that were laid against him earlier this month over the conduct of his private lottery business LMCT+.
The sobering images were then juxtaposed with shots of Portelli, who has an estimated net worth of more than $1billion, enjoying his very lavish lifestyle.
In scenes reminiscent of a rap video, Portelli could also be seen popping bottles and hosting lavish parties.
It’s certainly been a big year for Adrian Portelli and the Block billionaire has taken to Instagram to share a video montage of his ‘controversial’ year that was
His penchant for the finer things in life was also made abundantly clear, with Portelli hopping from a private jet to supercars and luxury yachts.
Captioning the boastful post, Portelli revealed hit back at his critics.
‘The more you win, the more people wanna take a shot,’ he wrote. ‘I say bring it on 2024.’
The post was met with a flurry of comments from followers, with many praising Portelli’s success.
‘Haha it’s incredible to watch you over the past 15 months! Well done,’ one follower wrote.
Another likened the scenes to something out of popular video game franchise Grand Theft Auto.
‘Bro this looks like the end scene credits for when you successfully finish everything on GTA. F***ing movie bro,’ they exclaimed.
Another fan suggested that much of the controversy surrounding Portelli was due to jealousy.
The montage, which was set to the strains of the ’90s Coolio hit Gangster’s Paradise opened with a raft of TV news reports mentioning Portelli
The sobering images were then juxtaposed with shots of Portelli enjoying his very lavish lifestyle
‘At the end of the day it comes down to jealousy! Half these people wouldn’t know the meaning of hard work,’ the fan wrote.
‘You give back so much, they fail to highlight the good things. Australia although the lucky country, certainly is a country that just doesn’t like seeing people succeed.
‘Keep breaking the mould Adrian, I have so much respect for you.’
It’s certainly been a red letter year for Portelli – for better and worse.
Others were quick to praise Portelli for the fact that his son Mercy, 11 months, never seemed to be far from his side.
‘Love how you always have your son around,’ one fan wrote. ‘Shows your true family character. We in for a killer 2025.’
Back in November, the man dubbed ‘Mr Lambo’ snapped up all five renovated properties from The Block’s 20th season.
He dropped a record-breaking $15.3million to secure the Phillip Island properties which his company LMCT+ later raffled off.
In scenes reminiscent of a rap video, Portelli could be seen popping bottles and hosting lavish parties
His penchant for the finer things in life was also made abundantly clear , with Portelli hopping from private jet to luxury supercars and yachts
The post was met with a flurry of comments from followers, with many praising Portelli’s success
He announced the lucky winner of the massive giveaway last week after it was earlier marred by technology issues which forced him to postpone the announcement.
Earlier this month, Portelli also gave away $150,000 worth of Coles vouchers to 1000 Sydneysiders.
He also signalled some big moves in 2025, revealing plans to build a new hospital in the Western Sydney city of Penrith earlier this month.
He said the hospital is being built for ‘high physical needs patients’ because there is a ‘shortage’ of medical assistance in the area for people in need.
Meanwhile, Portelli hit the headlines earlier this month after being charged over the conduct of his private lottery business LMCT+.
South Australia’s Consumer and Business Services launched an investigation into the operations of the Melbourne businessman’s lottery business in September last year.
Just one day after the Coles giveaway, the SA government department confirmed it was prosecuting Mr Portelli and Xclusive Tech Pty Ltd, which trades as LMCT+.
Portelli personally faces nine counts of conducting/assisting in the conduct of an unlawful lottery, and the company faces ten counts of the same charge, the courts confirmed.
‘Bro this looks like the end scene credits for when you successfully finish everything on GTA,’ one fan exclaimed, reverencing popular video game franchise Grand Theft Auto
‘You give back so much, they fail to highlight the good things,’ another fan wrote. ‘Australia although the lucky country, certainly is a country that just doesn’t like seeing people succeed’
If convicted on all charges, he could face a maximum penalty of $190,000. The first mention of the case is scheduled for January 15 in the South Australian Magistrates Court.
He has been accused by anti-gambling advocates of preying on low-income Aussies who pay up to $100 a month for lottery draws.
But the company says it is simply a ‘membership reward service’ that generates millions of dollars for local businesses.
It has more than 300,000 customers who pay a subscription fee, with options ranging from $20 to a $100 a month.
Subscribers get discounts from partners such as Amazon, Temple & Webster and Elite Supplements – although the website only releases the details to people who sign up.
The main attraction is the company’s monthly lottery draws for cash, cars and homes. The last draw, on November 24, resulted in $1million going to one subscriber.
