Billionaire Adrian Portelli hit back at South Australian authorities in an Instagram video after being accused of running an illegal lottery.
Portelli said his business contributed millions to the state’s economy and argued that pursuing him for a fraction of his fortune was a waste of taxpayer money.
“We’ve had a good relationship with South Australia and they’ve allowed us to invest millions and millions and millions of dollars in their state,” he said.
Portelli faces nine counts of running/aiding the running of an illegal lottery, and his company LMCT+ faces 10 counts of the same charge.
“We met with governing bodies, we met with gambling commissions, they came out to see us, we worked with them.”
“They all come back with the same finding that we are compatible,” he said.
“The only people, cowboys I like to call them, are South Australians.”
Other countries have explored the subscription platform and cleared it, he said.
Portelli claims South Australian authorities revoked his license “overnight”.
SA Consumer and Business Affairs said it did not take the decision to prosecute lightly and lottery laws are in place for a reason.
In the Instagram video, Portelli appears to be offering to pay to “call it all.”
“It is a maximum penalty of $190,000. I’ll round it up to $200,000,” he said.
“Call and stop wasting people’s money.”
It is not clear if this means Portelli intends to plead guilty to the charges when he appears in court in Adelaide on January 15.
The promotions guru and property investor is a familiar face on Australian television, including recently buying all five homes in the auction finale of the latest season of The block.
