The Tyrant Billionaire

Giannini looked at Hardy in surprise.

He realized that he had previously underestimated this young man. Many entrepreneurs viewed problems solely from an economic standpoint, but Hardy was already thinking strategically.

He was operating on a whole different level.

By viewing problems through the lens of larger trends, Hardy's predictions came earlier and reached further. Your adventure continues at empire

"What's your plan?" Giannini asked.

"I plan to persuade President Johnson to initiate a 'Japan Economic Mission,' bringing an economic team to Japan for investment."

Giannini pondered for a while.

"Hardy, I support your idea. If you think there are companies within the California consortium that would be suitable for investment in Japan, you can bring them along."

Japan was now completely under U.S. control, and Giannini thought to himself that even if the returns on investment weren't high, there was little risk of losing money. With so little risk involved, he agreed to Hardy's proposal.

Hardy was pleased. Convincing Giannini was an excellent first step.

"Not just the California consortium—I also plan to bring along other major groups, like the Rockefeller family, and maybe even the Morgan consortium."

Hardy's vision was much larger than Giannini had anticipated.

And it was much more far-reaching.

Japan's potential far surpassed that of Hong Kong. Japan was a nation with 80 million people, and its landmass was a third larger than that of the United Kingdom.

Japan also had very strong domestic conglomerates, such as the Mitsui Group, Mitsubishi Group, Sumitomo Group, Fuji Group, Sanwa Group, and Dai-Ichi Kangyo Group.

Trying to control Japan's economy with just the Hardy Group or even the California consortium alone wouldn't be enough. Although Japan was currently weak due to U.S. sanctions, once it recovered, it would bare its fangs and could even retaliate against its former masters.

To keep them in check, it would require an even greater force.

That's why Hardy was preparing to bring more American financial groups into the fold, creating a powerful alliance. Even if Japan grew strong in the future, facing such a coalition of formidable American conglomerates, they wouldn't dare act recklessly.

Some might wonder, "Isn't Hardy giving too much benefit to others by doing this?"

But in reality, that wasn't the case. While others might indeed profit, the one who would gain the most would undoubtedly be Hardy, the organizer and leader of the initiative.

By bringing those powerful financial groups on board, Hardy was essentially arming himself and donning a suit of armor, greatly enhancing his own strength.

After saying goodbye to Giannini, Hardy boarded a private plane to Las Vegas to inspect his properties there.

The Hardy Hotel remained as busy as ever.

Various facilities at the hotel had been further enhanced, becoming more complete, transforming it into a true vacation resort. The televised prize draw events now had even bigger amounts, with each prize exceeding $100,000.

Hardy also reviewed the construction plans for the Venetian and Caesar's Palace casinos, both of which were already halfway completed. Meanwhile, the Hardy Group's headquarters were still being built at a rapid pace.

As for the racetrack and the greyhound track:

The racetrack was expected to be finished within one or two months. Staff at the Hardy Hotel had already begun preliminary work, such as recruiting personnel, purchasing racehorses, and establishing connections with horse racing associations across the country.

At the grand opening, there would be a major horse race event. This would eventually turn into another casino venue, with televised prize draws to make it even more entertaining for the American public.

As for the greyhound track:

Since building the greyhound track was much simpler than the racetrack, it had been completed two months earlier.

However, Hardy's casino did not run this business; instead, it was handed over to the Los Angeles Company. Back in the day, the Irish gang in Los Angeles ran greyhound betting. After Hardy took down the Irish gang, the greyhound business fell into Bill's hands.

Bill had greyhounds, making him well-suited for this business.

When Hardy arrived in Las Vegas, Bill was already there. Hearing that Hardy had arrived, Bill quickly came over and dragged Hardy to the greyhound track to watch a race.

Outside the greyhound track, a neon sign was lit up, showing several greyhounds racing at full speed—an instantly recognizable scene.

The venue inside wasn't particularly large, with seating for about 2,000 people. Even though it was only 1949, the greyhound racing setup was already quite complete. A fake rabbit was attached to a rail for the dogs to chase.

Greyhound racing could also be part of the televised prize draws. In the past, underground greyhound races in Los Angeles had only a few thousand dollars at stake per race. But with the televised prize draws, each race could now generate over $100,000 in bets—far more lucrative than before.

Bill smiled and said, "Boss, we have over 600 greyhounds here. We now hold three races a day, and between the on-site audience betting and phone wagers, each race generates around $100,000 in revenue. Our annual commission should bring in around $4 million.

And this money is all legal income—other than paying taxes, there's nothing else to worry about.

Certainly, A lot of this money will be shared with Hardy, The Los City company is renting the venue from Hardy and has to pay $1 million in rent every year.

Hardy and Bill watched two greyhound races, but Hardy wasn't particularly interested. It didn't seem as exciting as horse racing. However, whether Hardy liked it or not didn't matter, because the audience certainly did. From the way the bettors cheered and waved their tickets, it was clear how engrossed they were.

After making the rounds in Las Vegas, Hardy traveled to Carson City, the capital of Nevada. U.S. state capitals tend to have one common feature: they are often located in smaller cities.

Hardy visited the Governor of Nevada, and they had a very friendly conversation. The Hardy Group was now the largest corporation registered in Nevada, and the governor was enthusiastic.

"The legislators have had private discussions. While some representatives believe Nevada doesn't need to open up a lottery, the majority feel it should. The time has been set—the vote will take place at the end of the month, along with two other proposals."