In an extraordinary display of generosity, entrepreneur Adrian Portelli has given away all five luxury homes he purchased from The Block's 2024 season in a massive lottery event. The properties, located on Phillip Island, represent a combined value of approximately £12 million after Portelli spent a staggering $15.3 million Australian dollars acquiring them.
The Grand Giveaway Event
The 36-year-old businessman, known by his nickname 'Mr Lambo', co-hosted the lavish giveaway event through his LMCT+ lottery company alongside former Big Brother star Tahan Lew-Fatt. According to Realestate.com, the Saturday announcement attracted over 20,000 online viewers, with a substantial crowd gathering on-site to witness the life-changing moments as Portelli personally called each winner.
Among the fortunate recipients was a 43-year-old school teacher named Pavin, who secured Brad and Kyle's House 4, a property Portelli had originally purchased for $2.6 million. The season's winning home, constructed by sisters Charlotte and Maddy, went to a woman called Donna after Portelli acquired it last November for an eye-watering $3.4 million.
Meet the Lucky Winners
The lottery produced several emotional moments as winners discovered their newfound fortune. A 22-year-old Western Australian named Josh won Ricky and Haydn's House 3, valued at $2.7 million. In one particularly memorable reaction, the winner of Kristian and Mimi's $2.93 million property responded to Portelli's announcement by telling him to 'f*** off' in disbelief.
Another winner, Jason, aged 50, learned he had won Courtney and Grant's $3.3 million house while watching the live stream. The event nearly faced disruption when technology issues forced a 24-hour postponement, but Portelli successfully resumed the proceedings with an impressive 111,000 viewers tuning in via Facebook.
Previous Giveaway Attempts and Rival Show Developments
This isn't Portelli's first attempt at property philanthropy. Last year, he tried to give away an entire compound through a record-breaking raffle. That previous giveaway saw a 34-year-old Ballarat woman named Holly win the choice between taking $8 million in cash or keeping all five properties, ultimately opting for the cash prize.
The massive giveaway comes as Portelli has officially turned his back on Channel Nine's The Block after spending over $30 million across the last three seasons. He has since thrown his support behind Channel Seven's rival show, My Reno Rules, which he hyped as a direct competitor to The Block when announced in July.
However, Portelli's new television venture recently encountered obstacles when builders discovered asbestos in two homes purchased for the show in suburban Melbourne. Production was reportedly shut down for two days while experts addressed the serious health risk before filming could recommence.
