The Tyrant Billionaire

Hardy just mentioned that he wanted the Global Times to become a major newspaper like The New York Times or the Los Angeles Times. The market value of those papers exceeds millions. Although she was only given 2%, it's still worth twenty to thirty thousand dollars.

That's not a small amount. Irina's current salary is $500 a month plus bonuses, already considered high. But even so, it would take 30 years to earn twenty to thirty thousand dollars.

In the future, it's equivalent to the boss giving you shares worth two to three million dollars. Wouldn't you be happy?

Hardy gently touched Irina's cheek and said softly, "I remember your birthday is coming up. Consider this your birthday gift."

Irina was dazed again.

Hardy brought Irina to the office, where she met Andy and Mark Kean. The French woman signed the agreements, becoming a shareholder and the legal representative of the Global Times.

As for the remaining shares of the Global Times, Andy would use multiple companies to hold cross shares for protection.

Next, Hardy took Mark Kean to meet the editor in chief of the Las Vegas Report, Donald Sutherland. The Las Vegas Report, as the first acquired newspaper, was merged into the Global Times from today.

Hardy then handed over the rest of the work to Mark Kean. Hiring people means letting them work for you. If you do everything yourself, no matter how energetic, you'll exhaust yourself.

Hardy, Irina, and Andy arrived at the Las Vegas TV station. Staff were busy setting up equipment, and the editing team was cutting footage from a few days ago. It was a bustling scene.

The TV station setup would take another ten days, which was just enough time to produce programs. Irina estimated they could create 100 hours of content, much of which could be replayed. New shows would also be made, so there would be no problem with broadcasting.

"Boss, how should we handle the betting?" Irina asked.

Previously, Hardy had mentioned that the TV station could broadcast casino draws and accept bets from other places over the phone. Preparing for this activity required quite a bit of setup.

Hardy explained, "I've already had a separate company established for betting operations. The legal representative is one of Bill's managers, who doesn't hold any shares. The company's profits go to The Los City company. They've hired 200 operators."

"People who want to bet must first deposit money into the betting company's account at Wells Fargo Bank, which accepts deposits nationwide. They can also transfer money through other banks, making it convenient."

"Each player gets an account. The betting company charges a 5% service fee. To place a bet, they call the betting company, which deducts the amount from their account."

"Winnings are subject to casino commissions and various taxes but must be collected in person in Las Vegas. Alternatively, the betting company can collect it, but any money entering the company's account is automatically subject to the 5% service fee."

"US law prohibits the sale of lottery tickets, but this method can be seen as helping with casino bets, not as buying lottery tickets."

"Even if the betting company is investigated, it has no connection to Hardy's hotel. We only handle the casino draws. We have no responsibility to verify who placed the bets. At most, let them arrest the legal representative."

Irina was dumbfounded.

It was a clever workaround, perfectly avoiding legal issues.

Even if investigated, Hardy's hotel bore no responsibility. The fall guy would be a member of the mob, someone easily replaceable.

Hardy continued, "The minimum deposit for the betting company is $100. Our TV station targets the entire country. If 10,000 people participate, that's a million dollars."

"A million dollar service fee is $50,000. If 100,000 people join, that's 10 million, with a $500,000 service fee."

"Will there be that many people?" Irina asked.

Hardy smiled, "Don't just think nationally. Do you know how many people participate in underground gambling in Los Angeles every year? More than 100,000. In New York, the number is even higher."

Los Angeles underground gambling is controlled by Hardy, and the Corleone family is the big player in New York's underground gambling. So Hardy is well aware of these figures.

Nationally, the numbers would be even larger.

"The service fee isn't the most important thing. Nationwide draw games will significantly promote Hardy's hotel, attracting more visitors in the future."

"And as more people bet, the stakes will increase, making the game more enticing and stimulating more participation."

"If each round averages $20,000, with 10 rounds a day, that's $200,000. With the casino's 15% pre-tax commission, we earn $30,000 a day. That's a million dollar annual income from this alone."

Irina was amazed.

A million dollar income.

How does the boss always come up with such lucrative ideas, all highly profitable?

In the evening, Hardy, Irina, and Andy went to the manor for dinner, joined by Bill. Andy and Bill were familiar, greeting each other cheerfully.

Irina had heard of Bill but was meeting him for the first time. Hardy introduced Bill to Irina.

Irina looked at Bill, thinking, this is the biggest Gang boss in Los Angeles. But before her boss, Bill, though joking, exuded deep respect.

After dinner, Hardy asked Bill about the betting company.

"I've been keeping a close eye on it these past few days. We bought a hotel near the casino, converted it into the company, and hired 200 operators, now in training. They'll work in two shifts, each for 10 hours."

"We also hired a dozen statisticians and accountants. They'll accept bets 1.5 hours before each draw, then spend half an hour tallying and placing the bets at the casino."

Hardy reminded, "This is a legitimate company. Keep the accounts clear, pay the required taxes, and don't give the IRS any reason to find flaws. If any other investigations arise, we can defend ourselves in court."

Bill nodded.

"I understand. Not a cent less on taxes. I've already hired someone to handle it."