A Nine reporter has been stood down after allegedly taking a $50,000 payment from a billionaire for referring to him as “McLaren guy”.
Adrian Portelli, known for his cash and property giveaways, became known as the “Lambo guy” in 2022 after he turned up to a house auction for popular reality TV show, The Block, in a yellow Lamborghini.
Portelli bought houses from the show in 2022, 2023 and 2024, spending $15m in 2024 to buy all five properties that season.
The moniker “Lambo guy” irked him so much that last week he offered to give $50,000 to the first television presenter to refer to him as the “McLaren guy” on air.
Nine presenter Alex Cullen appears to have taken Portelli up on his offer, using the alternative nickname in a live cross from the Australian Open to the Today studio in Sydney. Both he and host Karl Stefanovic used the preferred nickname in the following exchange, with Stefanovic suggesting they split the money.
On Friday, Portelli reportedly posted a screen grab of a $50,000 bank transfer to Cullen with the comment, “We have a winner! Well played sir,” according to the Herald Sun.
Portelli said on Instagram on Saturday he felt the media was “subconsciously trying to degrade me by giving me this nickname, and I’m over it”.
“I’ve told them many, many times to stop,” he said.
Nine confirmed it had taken Cullen off air while it investigated the incident. “Nine is taking this matter extremely seriously,” a spokesperson said.
“Appropriate action has been promptly taken, including arranging for the funds to be returned. While we review the circumstances in which this occurred, Alex has agreed to stand down.”
In December, Portelli and his company, which operates under the name LMCT+, were charged with conducting or assisting in the conduct of an unlawful lottery. On Wednesday, an Adelaide court heard that Portelli would plead not guilty to nine charges.
According to court documents, the incidents occurred between 29 January 2023 and 16 May 2024, and relate to the properties purchased by Portelli in the latest season of The Block.
LMCT+ offers members subscriptions to a “rewards club”. Members get entries to win cars and properties, in a model known as a trade promotion lottery.
Under South Australian law, trade promotion lotteries with prizes exceeding $5,000 need a licence to operate and must be free to enter.
According to court documents, “The major prize for the lottery was a property situated in Gisborne in the state of Victoria as seen on the Australian television show The Block, or a cash prize of $3,000,000.”
It is alleged Portelli’s company “did not hold a licence to conduct the lottery in South Australia”.
Portelli was contacted for comment.
