The Tyrant Billionaire

Hardy received a call from Bill.

"Boss, in the past two days, the number of clients at the betting company has increased by over 100,000, bringing the total number of clients to over 500,000, with total funds reaching 100 million dollars," Bill said excitedly.

This lawsuit had garnered national attention, and the coverage in major newspapers served as significant advertising. Now that the Federal Court had ruled that television drawings were legal, many who had previously been worried were reassured.

Since it was now legal, people felt free to participate, and many contacted the betting company, ready to try their luck.

The casino reported to Hardy that the jackpot in recent drawing activities had also surged, with regular payouts reaching 70,000 to 80,000 dollars and the highest exceeding 100,000 dollars. If this trend continued, the casino could earn over 50 million dollars annually from this one project alone.

"Bill, split the betting company into three," Hardy instructed.

"Huh? Why?" Bill asked, puzzled.

"In the future, as the amount of money grows and more people call, we don't want customers to feel we're monopolizing the business. Let them feel they have the freedom to choose," Hardy explained.

"Aren't they still the boss's companies?" Bill asked, still a bit confused.

"Hehe, it's different. As long as it's not apparent that they have the same owner, people will feel they have the freedom to choose. Customer perception is very important," Hardy replied.

"Got it. I'll have someone set up new companies," Bill quickly responded.

After hanging up the phone, Hardy pondered that it might be time to push forward the development of the lottery business. He had been planning this for a while, but the timing hadn't been right.

Now, with the Federal Court ruling in favor of the 'drawing activity,' it was as if a door had opened for the lottery business.

It would now be much easier to operate.

The American lottery industry had been growing steadily since colonial times and even raised substantial funds for the War of Independence. By the 1890s, however, lottery activities were declared illegal.

It wasn't until 1964 that the lottery business reopened.

The American lottery industry operates state by state, so there was no point in going to Johnson this time, Hardy decided to approach the Nevada government.

Hardy picked up the phone and called Nevada state senator Anthony. This Anthony was a friend of the mayor of Las Vegas and a senator Hardy had once hosted.

After that incident, Hardy and Anthony had become friends.

"Senator Anthony, I hope you can propose a bill to the state legislature to open up the lottery business in Nevada. Since Nevada has already opened up gambling and adult entertainment, why not the lottery? I believe the lottery industry will bring more employment and economic revenue to the state and attract more people, resulting in a range of benefits."

"I've had a cooperation model prepared, which includes lottery sales, government supervision, fund utilization, profit sharing, and other aspects," Hardy said.

"Mr. Hardy, I'll come to Las Vegas to see you right away," Anthony replied.

The next day, Anthony, along with his assistant, flew to Las Vegas and met Hardy in his office. Hardy handed him a set of documents.

Anthony took the documents and began to read.

Hardy's proposal was based on a mature mechanism from later years. The state government would establish a State Lottery Commission, an independent regulatory body separate from the government's administrative system, overseeing the lottery companies and retailers.

Lottery retailers would be private companies appointed by the State Lottery Commission, which would issue licenses to select the most capable and reputable companies to operate as retailers.

The key point was how profits would be distributed.

Fifty percent of lottery sales revenue would be used as prize money, 25% would go to public welfare funds, 12% would be lottery taxes, 8% would be for lottery operations and advertising expenses, and 5% would be retail profits.

The 25% public welfare fund would actually go to the government, which could be used for public education, healthcare, public construction, and other areas.

This would not be a small amount of money.

For example, if a lottery is drawn once a week, and each draw sells 1 million tickets, that's 52 million dollars annually, providing 13 million dollars a year for the state government to manage, plus additional tax revenue for the state.

State governments are always short of money, no government isn't. This additional income would significantly supplement the budget, enabling the governor to accomplish many previously unattainable goals.

"What do you think of this proposal? Are there any areas that need improvement?" Hardy asked.

"Mr. Hardy, this proposal is already quite mature and can be submitted directly," Anthony thought to himself. With so many capable people under Hardy, drafting a proposal would be a piece of cake.

Hardy handed Anthony a cigar, and the two smoked while discussing the details of the lottery proposal. Anthony increasingly understood Hardy's intentions.

"Don't worry, Mr. Hardy. I'll submit this to the legislature when I return. I also have a few friends, and I'll get them to do their utmost to push the proposal through," Anthony said.

Hardy smiled and looked at Anthony, saying, "Senator Anthony, are you interested in participating in next year's Senate election? If you need support, I can help."

Anthony was instantly excited.

Why had he come running over here? Wasn't it to find a big backer? He was just an ordinary state senator with no real foundation of his own. Without support from a major power, advancing further would be extremely difficult.

And who was Hardy?

The largest business in Nevada now was the "Hardy Group." The largest casino in Las Vegas belonged to him, and two even larger casinos were under construction, with investments of hundreds of millions, accounting for over half of Nevada's total investment last year.

He supported President Johnson's re-election, pulling Johnson from a 30-something approval rating to over 40%, while his competitor, Dewey, was nearly destroyed by this man.