The Tyrant Billionaire

The old godfather now had a new goal, fully supporting Michael and steering the Corleone family in a new direction.

He believed that path was broader and brighter.

"Michael, I watched your show. You spoke very well. The feedback I received shows that more and more people are supporting you, and you have already left your competitors far behind in votes," the old godfather said with a smile.

"I didn't expect the impact of a TV show to be so great," Michael said.

The old godfather shook his head. "It's the power of ABC's publicity. Others have given speeches on TV before, but none had such an effect."

He then thought of Hardy.

"Hardy controls ABC, giving him immense influence. Watch, many politicians will seek his favor in the future."

"I always had high hopes for Hardy, but I still didn't expect him to develop so quickly, surpassing my expectations. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, all are now his territories."

"ABC's influence goes beyond money. Michael, you and Hardy are good friends. Maintain a good relationship with him, and learn from him. Hardy often sees further, thinks more, and plans more meticulously than you."

Michael nodded. "I understand, Father."

The old godfather, seeing his son so serious, smiled and patted his shoulder. "You are already doing great, Michael. This state senate election is in the bag. The next step is to run for the U.S. Senate and enter Washington. You have a long way to go."

...

Hardy's women went back to their work.

Ava Gardner continued filming. "Voyage of the Damned" was halfway through and expected to be completed in a little over a month.

"Ghost" had already started filming, and Hedy Lamarr was very busy.

Taylor had received a new script, "Beauty and the Beast," and would play Belle. She was 15 now and would be about 16 by the time filming began. At 16, Taylor was already a mature young woman, perfect for the role of Belle.

Elena continued running her auction house. She was very introverted and didn't compete with others. She was increasingly passionate about artworks and devoted herself fully to it. The auction house was growing larger.

The auction house built a real antique collection vault, protected against water, moisture, and theft, with HD security guards. There were no safety issues at all.

The auction house now not only acquired antiques but also conducted auction business, making money through auctions. Elena ideal model was to use the money earned from auctions to acquire more artworks, achieving a balance through normal means without depending on the difference of white washing the gang money to sustain the auction house.

As for Irina, she stayed by his side.

"Irina, I have a task for you," Hardy said.

"What is it, boss?"

"I plan to establish the 'Las Vegas TV Station.' Once it's built, it will be merged into ABC, and we'll create a channel, the Las Vegas Channel, to broadcast nationwide," Hardy said.

The French girl turned around and exclaimed, "Boss, creating a separate Las Vegas Channel to broadcast nationwide will require a lot of programs. Right now, we're already investing heavily to support ABC's 16 hour daily broadcast. Starting a new channel will require a significant investment."

Hardy shook his head and smiled. "The Las Vegas TV Station will be completely different from the three major networks. No news, no TV shows, no TV shopping."

"So, what programs do you plan for this channel?" Irina asked.

"Mainly broadcasting casino scenes. I've made a simple schedule," Hardy said, taking a piece of paper from the bedside table and handing it to the French girl.

She took it and looked it over carefully.

"Broadcast Las Vegas scenery, introduce Hardy Grand Hotel, showcase food, facilities, nightclubs, strip shows, highlighting the decadence and luxury."

"Introduce the casino halls, explain various gambling games, record directly in the halls for a more authentic and intense atmosphere, showing scenes of people winning money."

"Organize gambling tournaments, such as Texas Hold'em tournaments, each lasting several hours, which will surely attract many viewers."

"After establishing horse racing and dog racing, broadcast horse and dog racing events."

"Live casino drawings every two hours, showing people winning prizes and distributing awards, stimulating viewers desires."

Americans are usually confident and love to show off on camera when they win.

After reading, Hardy said, "Another important feature is to open phone betting and drawing services. Similar to TV shopping, we will accept phone bets during the live drawings every two hours, allowing people from all over the country to place bets."

"If someone wins, they must come to the casino to claim their prize."

Irina blinked. "Boss, are you planning to run a lottery business? But lotteries are illegal."

The lottery business was once very popular in the U.S. but after people became addicted, many states began banning it. By 1930, 45 states had laws declaring lotteries illegal, and 35 states constitutions prohibited all lottery activities.

It wasn't until 1964 that some states legalized lotteries again. Although Nevada allowed gambling, it didn't legalize lotteries.

Hardy smiled.

"This isn't a lottery. It's casino betting with draws, completely different from a lottery. I consulted our legal team, and this situation is legally ambiguous. TV betting and draws are new, and judges can't easily rule on it."

"That's why winners must claim their prizes at the casino. We consider the entire gambling process to happen within the casino, with people just placing bets remotely. It has nothing to do with lotteries."

"Even if someone sues, the worst outcome is stopping this business," Hardy said with a smile.

It's essentially exploiting a legal loophole.

"I understand, boss. With ABC's resources, setting up a local station is not difficult. I estimate it will be completed in less than a month," Irina said.

Hardy told Irina that he had previously acquired a Las Vegas radio station, run by a man named Colin Firth, who used to work in television. The radio station had an office building where the TV station could be set up.

"Check if Colin Firth is suitable. If he is, consider nurturing him."

"Don't worry, boss. I'll take care of it," Irina said.

Having such a capable secretary is great.

She's good at her job in every sense.