Chapter 320 Benefits are exchanged
After bidding farewell to Janini, Hardy flew to Las Vegas on a private jet to inspect Las Vegas industries.
Business at Hardy's Hotel remains brisk.
The hotel's facilities have been further enhanced and have become more and more complete, turning it into a real tourist resort. The television lottery events are larger than before, and now each issue is over 100,000 US dollars.
I also went to check on the construction progress of the Venetian and Caesars Palace casinos. One third of the construction has been completed, and the headquarters of the Hardy Group is also under intensive construction.
As for the racetrack and the greyhound track.
The racecourse is estimated to be completed in one or two months, and the staff of Hardy's Hotel has already started the preliminary work, such as recruiting personnel and purchasing racehorses, as well as contacting local horse racing associations.
A grand horse race will be held when it opens. In the future, it will become another casino and host televised lottery events, which will enrich the spiritual entertainment life of the American people.
As for the dog racing track,
Because it was much easier to build than a racecourse, it was completed two months ago.
Hardy's Casino did not do this business, but handed it over to the Los Angeles Company. At that time, the Irish gang in Los Angeles had a greyhound racing casino. Later, the Irish gang was taken down by Hardy and his gang, and the greyhound racing business was handed over to Bill.
He has racing dogs, which makes him suitable for this business.
When Hardy arrived in Las Vegas, Bill's family was here. When they heard that Hardy had arrived, they hurried over and took Hardy to the dog racing track to watch the greyhounds.
There is also a neon sign hanging at the entrance of the dog racing track, with several greyhounds running hard on it, which is very clear at a glance.
The venue inside is not very big, and the stands can accommodate about two thousand people. Although it is now 1949, the specifications of dog racing have basically been perfected, and a fake rabbit is hung on the slide for the dogs to chase.
Greyhound racing can also be broadcast on television. In the past, underground greyhound racing in Los Angeles only had bets of a few thousand dollars per race. But through television broadcasts, the profits from each race can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, which is much more than before.
Bill smiled and said, "Boss, we have more than 600 dogs here. We have three races every day. The bets from the spectators and the phone bets are about hundreds of thousands of dollars per race. The commissions are about 4 million dollars a year."
Moreover, this money is legal income, so you don’t have to worry about anything except paying taxes.
Of course,
A lot of this money will be shared with Hardy, because this dog racing track belongs to Hardy. The Los Angeles company rents the venue from Hardy and pays $1 million in rent every year.
Hardy and Bill watched two dog races at the track and felt that they were just average, not as interesting as horse racing. Regardless of whether Hardy liked it or not, the audience did. From the way the gamblers cheered and shouted while holding their tickets, you could tell how much they were into the race.
After a tour of Las Vegas, Hardy came to Carson City, the capital of Nevada. The state capitals in the United States all have one characteristic: most of them are located in small cities.
Hardy visited the governor of Nevada and had a very friendly exchange with the governor. The Hardy Group is now the largest company registered in Nevada, and the governor was very enthusiastic.
"Members of the Legislature have communicated privately before. Although some members said that there is no need for Nevada to allow lotteries, more people said that it should be allowed. The time has been set, and the voting session will be held at the end of the month, along with two other bills," said Governor Madison.
"Governor Madison, the main reason I came here this time is that I hope that if the vote is passed, the lottery business can be handed over to the Hardy Group. You also know that the Hardy Group is the best in the gambling industry in Las Vegas. We also have ABC TV, which gives us enough advantages in lottery operations." Hardy said.
The lottery business is not a private business. In all states in the United States that allow lotteries, the lottery business is run by the state government, and then they authorize lottery companies. If Nevada passes the proposal this time, it will also be this model.
Lottery operating companies can earn about 5% of the total amount, excluding operating costs. That is to say, if there are two draws per week and 1 million US dollars is bet on each draw, the total bet amount per year is about 100 million US dollars.
The lottery company can earn 5 million.
Little?
Some people think it is too little, after all, the investment is not small, but this is just a conservative figure, and when doing business, you can't just look at the present.
After obtaining the lottery operating rights in Nevada, Hardy's company has a stepping stone to promote other states to open lotteries. As more states open lotteries, sales will naturally increase.
In later generations, annual sales of American lottery tickets could reach 80 billion.
According to this figure, a 5% profit margin is 4 billion US dollars. Most importantly, the lottery company will have a huge amount of funds in its hands.
It's still the same truth that Hardy and Sam Walton said before. When you have a large amount of cash in your hands, bankers will kneel down to beg you. What's more, Hardy himself is a banker and knows the importance of cash.
Governor Madison naturally knew why Hardy approached him. In fact, he even knew that Congressman Anthony, who proposed the bill, was the one who was approached by Hardy.
Nevada is an extremely poor state with no resources and no industries. If the state had not been forced into a desperate situation, it would not have come up with the idea of legalizing gambling because it really had no other options.
Today, Las Vegas casinos can be said to be the largest source of financial income for Nevada, and Hardy's Grand Hotel is the largest of them. Not only that, the Venetian and Caesar's Palace, which are under construction, are both investments worth hundreds of millions, which made the Nevada government very happy at the time.
These two casinos were also built by Hardy, so no one dared to easily reject what Hardy said in Nevada.
Governor Madison smiled and said, "Of course I believe in the strength of the Hardy Group. I also believe that if the Hardy Group operates this industry, it will be successful. If this bill is passed, I will give special consideration to the Hardy Group, which is also for the sake of Nevada's economy."
The two sides reached a verbal agreement.
Hardy did not say anything to his face about how much money he would be given or how much the bribe was. Everyone knows that the United States investigates corruption and bribery very strictly. Some politicians who embezzle hundreds of millions of dollars will face very severe punishment.
So nowadays, few people will bribe in person.
But this does not mean that corruption and bribery have disappeared, it has just become more covert.
Today Governor Madison helped Hardy, so if Governor Madison finds Hardy in the future, Hardy will also have the obligation to help him. For example, if Governor Madison wants to run for the next governor and needs supporters, or if he wants to enter Congress and become a senator, he will need supporters.
With a financial backer like Hardy, one person can take on all the campaign funds.
Isn’t campaign funds money?
Of course.
For example, if there is a family business, both parties can cooperate in business and make a few transactions, and the money will come out naturally.
There are no regulations in the United States that prohibit congressmen and state governors from doing business.
Many of them even come from business backgrounds. I won't cite any examples because there are too many of them. After becoming rich, they ran for congressmen, senators, state governors, mayors, and even president. Trump is one of the typical representatives.
It is normal for politics to be connected with business.
Many people say that the United States is not a society based on personal connections. That is wrong. The United States has as much personal connections as any other country, and these connections have formed their own rules.
If someone helped you initially and you don't help when they find you, then you're done. Your reputation will become very bad, and it will be very difficult to find someone to do things for you next time.
......
After talking with Governor Madison, Hardy did not stop and flew to the U.S. Army Defense Logistics Base at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
He came to see Major General Williams.
Before coming, Hardy contacted Major General Williams by phone, and Major General Williams smiled and invited him to his home for dinner. Now the two are partners and have a very close relationship.
Hardy refused.
"Let's find a golf course. The one we went to last time was pretty good."
Major General Williams immediately realized that Hardy did not want to play golf, but had something important to discuss with him.
"No problem, I'll book the court right away."
on the golf course.
Hardy teeed off first, and after a long shot, the two of them walked slowly toward the ball with their clubs without any entourage.
"General, I attended the last inauguration of President Johnson and met with Secretary Marshall. We had a good chat. The next day, I paid a special visit to the Pentagon and talked about security companies," said Hardy.
Major General Williams looked at Hardy.
I felt a slight sigh in my heart.
These wealthy people are far more powerful than these soldiers and supported President Johnson to come to power. Now everyone knows that Hadi is President Johnson's biggest financial backer and his influence is very effective with the president.
Because of his relationship with President Johnson, he was able to get to know senior military officials, and his connections were ten thousand times easier than those of himself who climbed up from the grassroots.
Hardy looked at Major General Williams and suddenly said, "General, are you interested in the position of Chief of Logistics?"
Major General Williams was stunned.
Are you interested?
Is there any need to ask?
Absolutely.
Williams thought of something and asked excitedly, "Hardy, what do you mean?"
"I mean, do you want me to help you run it? I'm going to meet the President and Secretary Marshall soon?" Hardy said.
The Defense Logistics Agency is different from combat forces. It is directly under the Department of Defense and the Secretary of Defense has direct jurisdiction over it.
Given Hardy's relationship with Johnson, he could talk to him privately and help Williams smooth over the relationship. And to be honest, as the president, he would also like to use someone who is related to him, as it would be more convenient to use him.
This is what is called a faction.
As for the current Director of Logistics, he will reach retirement age in more than a year, and then Williams' opportunity will come.
Hardy could have someone contact the director of logistics in advance and invite him to join the security company as a consultant, and also take over his logistics department relationships.
It can be said that one bird kills two birds with one stone.
"This matter still needs to be implemented slowly. I'm afraid it won't be implemented until the second half of next year, when your boss retires," said Hardy.
A year later is not long.
The best thing is to have hope.
President Johnson had just been re-elected and had four years left in his term. Given General Marshall's connections in the military, appointing him as Secretary of Logistics was a piece of cake, and few dared to stand up and oppose it. Williams was only in his fifties, just the right age.
Everything fits perfectly.
"Thank you, Hardy." Williams thanked excitedly.
"Haha, we are friends, right? Good friends should help each other." Hardy said with a smile.
“Yes, help each other.”
Major General Williams is not stupid. Hardy pushed him to the position because he naturally had his own interests to pursue. This kind of exchange of interests is too common in officialdom, or it can be said that this is the normal state.
The presidency was achieved through exchange of interests.
Officials are recommended by capital.
Members of parliament are elected with the help of capital.
Everything is an exchange of interests.
Major General Williams smiled and asked, "I haven't seen you for a long time. What have you been busy with recently?"
"I have opened a new supermarket chain and plan to cover the entire United States. General, I think this supermarket has the potential to cooperate with the logistics department."
"We have thousands of suppliers, and there will be more in the future. When we cover the entire United States, we will have tens of thousands of suppliers. The daily life supply of the U.S. military is a very complicated matter. I think we can choose a few large suppliers instead of purchasing everything ourselves."
"Hadi's supermarket chain hopes to become one of the logistics suppliers for the military in the future. If the military has any special requirements, we can customize them."
Major General Williams nodded.
"It is true. There are more than tens of thousands of items, including food, fuel, clothing, equipment, ammunition, tools, energy, medical supplies, and building materials. You also need to control their quality. You know how arduous this task is."
"The Department of Homeland Security is the largest department in the Department of Defense. All other departments in the Pentagon have only 6,000 to 7,000 people, while our Department of Homeland Security has more than 40,000 people."
"You know, we now have more than a thousand military bases overseas, and the logistics department is also responsible for the material support of these military bases. This is a huge task."
Logistics is an extremely important part of war, and no army dares to ignore it.
"At a recent Logistics Bureau meeting, we were still discussing the need to gradually introduce civilian suppliers and logistics to help us solve these problems. We will change from direct supply to supervision," said Major General Williams.
Hardy nodded and said, "Allowing private enterprises and logistics companies to participate in the provision and transportation of logistics materials will greatly save the labor of the Logistics Bureau, and it may even save money than if you handle it directly yourself."
"We've calculated it, and it does save money!" said Major General Williams with a smile.
At this point, Major General Williams said to Hardy: "The supplier issue has not been finalized yet, but I think the Hardy Group can definitely participate. I will notify you in advance when the bidding begins."
"Thank you, Major General Williams." Hardy thanked with a smile.
Hadi thought of something and said, "In addition to supplies, we should also pay attention to the mental health of soldiers and prepare more entertainment activities."
Major General Williams did not expect Hardy to say this and asked, "What do you mean by entertainment life?"
"The barracks are boring. If the army could subscribe to some Playboy magazines, do you think the soldiers would be happy?"
Major General Williams was stunned.
He had never thought about sending a playboy to the army.
However, the U.S. military is not like other armies that have strict regulations on these aspects. Condoms are provided for use by stationed troops when they go out to visit prostitutes.
"Purchasing Playboy magazine and solving the entertainment problem is indeed a good idea. I will mention it at the meeting later." Major General Williams nodded.
Hardy, a capitalist, would not let go of even small amounts of money like Playboy. But is it really small money? The pure profit from selling one copy is just over one dollar. If the US military purchases 100,000 copies each time, that would be a million dollars in profit a year.
Why not make money if you have it? It’s just a matter of words.
"Continue playing?"
"Of course, the ball is yours."
The two looked at each other, laughed, and continued walking towards the golf course.
After chatting for so long,
It seemed like only one shot was made.