{"id":611329,"date":"2026-04-16T19:18:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:18:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/611329\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T19:18:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T19:18:15","slug":"did-adrian-portelli-predict-the-fuel-crisis-billionaire-couldnt-have-picked-a-better-moment-to-unveil-his-latest-lucrative-venture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/611329\/","title":{"rendered":"Did Adrian Portelli PREDICT the fuel crisis? Billionaire couldn’t have picked a better moment to unveil his latest lucrative venture"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ASHLEY NICKEL, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 06:52 EDT, 16 April 2026 | Updated: 06:52 EDT, 16 April 2026 <\/p>\n

Australian billionaire Adrian Portelli is set to open the first location for his own chain of service stations before the end of this month.<\/p>\n

Portelli, 36, announced his petrol pump venture as part of an extension to LMCT+, his subscription-based\u00a0rewards club, in December 2025.<\/p>\n

The price of fuel in Australia doubled for drivers in the weeks after conflict broke out in the Middle East and Iran<\/a> closed shipping passage the Strait of Hormuz, with some service stations even running dry.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But months before the ongoing fuel crisis began, Portelli said that his service stations would offer ‘discount’ fuel prices, with the first location to open in Melbourne<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The big players in the petrol<\/a> game didn’t want to give you guys discounted fuel, so Adrian’s gone out and bought his own to give members a whopping fuel discount,’\u00a0LMCT+ said in its December announcement.<\/p>\n

‘Get ready because next year you’re going to start seeing LMCT+ petrol stations roll out across Australia.’<\/p>\n

In an update last week, Portelli announced the first of the petrol stations would open within a fortnight. The project is a conversion from a Shell site on the corner of Gower Street and Plenty Road in Preston, about 10km north of Melbourne’s CBD.<\/p>\n

‘The final two-week countdown!’ he wrote online. ‘It genuinely is surreal seeing this come to life and I got emotional seeing that LMCT+ logo hanging loud and proud!’<\/p>\n

\"Adrian <\/p>\n

Adrian Portelli’s\u00a0subscription-based rewards club, LMCT+, will open a service station before the end of the month (pictured is the concept image)<\/p>\n

\"Portelli <\/p>\n

Portelli (above) announced the expansion of LMCT+ weeks before the conflict in the Middle East triggered massive fuel price jumps<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The servo (above) is set to offer ‘discounted fuel’ in Melbourne<\/p>\n

For those struggling to find E85, which has been in short supply due to the conflict in the Middle East<\/a>, Portelli added: ‘There will be E85 on site in some way shape or form.’\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hundreds of Aussies applauded Portelli’s decision to open a service station – with some joking his ability to find fuel in a shortage was better than that of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.<\/p>\n

‘Bro can you replace Albo,’ one wrote.<\/p>\n

‘This is awesome!’ another said.<\/p>\n

But others shared their doubts about LMCT+’s expansion, especially given that the brand is most famous for its lotteries.<\/p>\n

Those competitions appear to be part of the new service stations with pictures showing an on-site ‘Rewards Hub’.<\/p>\n

‘Can we not bring gambling into every aspect of our lives? I’m happy for you to expand, but exposing our kids to ‘a chance to win’ at every opportunity is a real bad idea,’ one wrote.<\/p>\n

Photos from Portelli’s latest update showed the bones of the service station were up with LMCT+ logos already plastered on the bowsers.<\/p>\n

\"Portelli <\/p>\n

Portelli last week said the service station (above) would open in two weeks’ time<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A waitlist for the service station’s (above) official opening has been created on the LMCT+ website<\/p>\n

\"Portelli <\/p>\n

Portelli claimed his service station (above) would even stock E85, which has been hard to find since conflict broke out in the Middle East<\/p>\n

A waitlist for LMCT+ fuel is available on the company’s website but it’s unclear when the first service station will officially open.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Portelli, from Melbourne, has an estimated worth of $1.4billion.<\/p>\n

He made the majority of wealth through his LMCT+ business, which exploited a loophole in gambling regulation, along with property investment and a super car collection.<\/p>\n

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