LMCT+ explained: how it works, is it legit, and who is Adrian Portelli?
Last checked: September 2026
LMCT+ is a membership club, founded by Melbourne entrepreneur Adrian Portelli, that gives away cars, cash and even houses to its members. It is one of the biggest names in Australian giveaways. Here is how it actually works, whether it counts as gambling, and how it compares to the charity prize home lotteries we track.
What is LMCT+?
LMCT+ is a paid membership, or rewards club, rather than a lottery. For a monthly fee, members get discounts across a large network of retailers, plus free entries into regular giveaways for cars, cash and homes. A key part of the pitch is that the longer you stay a member, the more free entries you build up, and they do not expire. It is a for-profit business, not a charity.
Who is Adrian Portelli?
Adrian Portelli is a Melbourne entrepreneur who founded LMCT+ in 2018. Beyond the business, he became a household name in Australia by buying homes on the renovation TV show The Block and through a high-profile supercar lifestyle that plays heavily into the LMCT+ brand. He is a public figure who has been vocal in defending how his business operates.
Portelli has become almost as well known for how he spends his money as for how he makes it. A few of the headline purchases that have kept him in the news:
He bought every house on The Block, then gave them away
Portelli is now a fixture at the auction finale of the renovation show The Block. In 2024 he bought all five Phillip Island houses for a reported $15.3 million, then put the entire lot up as a single LMCT+ giveaway, where one winner could take all five homes or $8 million in tax-free cash instead. It was not a one-off: in 2023 he spent around $12 million on three Block houses, including the winners' home for about $5 million. Buying Block homes and handing them to a member has become one of his signature moves, and a big part of how LMCT+ gets attention.
A $39 million record-breaking penthouse
In Melbourne, Portelli paid a reported $39 million for the double-storey penthouse atop the Sapphire by the Gardens tower, a record price for a Melbourne apartment. Spanning levels 57 and 58 and around 1,200 square metres, he has talked about fitting it out with a pool, multiple kitchens and even a bowling alley. Most memorably, he had his roughly $3 million McLaren Senna GTR craned dozens of storeys up and into the apartment to sit as a centrepiece, the stunt that cemented his "car guy" reputation.
The only Koenigsegg Jesko in Australia
Portelli's car collection runs to the extreme end of supercars. The headline buy is a Koenigsegg Jesko, reportedly worth about $6.5 million, which he says he secured on the condition that he remains the only owner of the model in the country. The Jesko is a carbon-bodied hypercar with a twin-turbo V8 that can produce around 1,600 horsepower on E85 fuel. It sits alongside a collection that has featured Lamborghinis, which earned him the "Lambo Guy" nickname, and the craned-in McLaren Senna GTR.
How LMCT+ works
Is LMCT+ gambling? Is it legit?
This is the question most people are really asking, and the honest answer is: it is a real, operating business, but it sits in a contested grey area.
LMCT+ runs its giveaways as a trade promotion, under a New South Wales licence, rather than as a licensed lottery. Because entries come as a perk of a subscription, LMCT+ argues it is not gambling. That model has drawn regulator attention: during 2024 and 2025, Victoria's Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC) and South Australia's Consumer and Business Services investigated LMCT+ over alleged breaches of gambling laws. Adrian Portelli has consistently defended the business as a lawful trade promotion, and according to reporting, earlier reviews did not find it to be operating illegally.
So, as things stand, it operates legally. But compared with the licensed charity art unions we track (see are prize home lotteries legit), the LMCT+ model has faced more scrutiny and sits in a less settled part of the law. As always, read the current terms and conditions and make your own judgement before you subscribe.
LMCT+ vs charity prize home lotteries
LMCT+ and the charity prize home lotteries both give away houses, but they are quite different things:
| LMCT+ | Charity prize home lotteries | |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | For-profit membership club | Registered charity art union |
| How you enter | Subscribe, entries are a perk | Buy tickets per draw |
| Cost | From ~$20/month membership | From $2 per ticket, no subscription |
| Prizes | Cars, cash, homes | Homes, plus cars, gold, cash |
| Where the money goes | The business | The charity's cause |
| Regulation | Trade promotion, scrutinised | Licensed charity lottery |
If what you actually want is a single, cheap ticket for a chance at a dream home while supporting a cause, the charity lotteries are a simpler and more settled option. Compare the biggest ones in our best prize home lottery guide.
Is LMCT+ worth it?
That depends on how you look at it. If you would genuinely use the membership discounts and enjoy the giveaways as entertainment, the free entries are a nice bonus on top. If you are joining purely hoping to win a car or a house, treat it the same way you would any giveaway: a long shot, not a plan. It is a subscription with perks, not an investment.
You can read the official details at lmctplus.com.
Is LMCT+ legit?
Is LMCT+ gambling?
How much does LMCT+ cost?
Do people actually win?
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Photo: Pexels (free to use, no attribution required). Figures on LMCT+ are drawn from public reporting and are current examples. This article is general information, not financial or legal advice.