The Tyrant Billionaire

Chapter 143: Chapter 143 The Flamingo Casino Opening

The casino was well prepared, gleaming with splendor. Rows of slot machines were arranged in a breathtaking display, with dozens of gaming tables offering various forms of entertainment.

Currently, the staff were still cleaning up and preparing to welcome tomorrow's guests.

The lounge, bar, and restaurant were also ready to accommodate guests. They went to the hotel, which was luxuriously decorated, meeting the standards of a five star establishment.

However, apart from these basic facilities, most of the other entertainment projects Sigel had envisioned were still unfinished.

In other words, people could only come here to gamble.

Hardy could only sigh. Everything seemed rushed. All those mafia families were a bunch of short sighted individuals.

He was indeed impressed by the casino decoration, but he still didn't think it was enough for people to fly all the way from different parts of the US to the Las Vegas desert just to gamble and go to sleep in the hotel. The first impression of this casino complex is pretty much a failure.

If they had supported Sigel, he would have undoubtedly succeeded.

The next day.

The sky over Las Vegas was somewhat overcast.

The temperature dropped to just five or six degrees Celsius.

Sigel looked at the sky with some concern, saying to the woman beside him, "Virginia I arranged a plane to pick people up from Los Angeles. I hope the weather doesn't cause any issues."

At noon, Guests began arriving sporadically, most of them driving themselves. After all, it was only a four hour drive from Los Angeles.

Among these people were lawyers, accountants, and many celebrities, many of whom Hardy knew. Meyer, the boss of MGM, and Warner's boss were also present. Hardy greeted and chatted with them.

At this point, Hardy's status could already be compared to Meyer and the Warner Brothers, although HD Studios wasn't as prominent as the Big Eight film companies, but in terms of comprehensive strength, Hardy was no less than them.

Meyer and Hardy stood under a tree with glasses of wine in their hands, discussing movie matters.

"For the director of Once a Thief, I'm planning to bring in George Froeschel. Four years ago, his film 'The House of Loyalty' won the Oscar for Best Picture. His style suits Once a Thief."

"For the director of 'Singing in the Rain', I intend to invite Stanley Donen. He previously directed musicals and has experience in that genre. Hardy, do you have any opinions on these two?"

Hardy was a bit stunned 'Stanley Donen.'

Stanley Donen.

If he remembered correctly, 'Singing in the Rain' was also directed by Stanley Donen in his past life.

"I have no objections. I have great confidence in MGM's capabilities," Hardy said with a smile.

Meyer smiled and said, "I bought a copy of Playboy. Hardy, I have to say your taste is very unique. This magazine is bound to be a hit, and it's definitely a good business deal."

"These are just small businesses."

"Small business? Now Playboy's stock price has risen to $6. You own all the shares of the magazine, and this one deal alone will probably earn you over $5 million."

Meyer spoke with envy in his tone. His MGM was such a big business, yet he couldn't earn as much in a year as Hardy could with just one deal.

Then the two discussed 'The Wild Bunch'. The box office for 'The Wild Bunch' was fixed at $7.86 million, already locking in this year's box office champion. However, this money, to be distributed, would probably not come until the middle of next year, and it was just the first installment. It might take another year or two to receive all the payments.

Hardy had another source of income, the documentary 'The Great Bank Robbery of Los Angeles.' The box office for this documentary had also surpassed a million.

"Mr. Meyer, how's the situation with the Golden Globes and Oscars this year?" Hardy asked.

Meyer smiled, "There are many excellent films this year, but I think 'The Wild Bunch' has a certain advantage in the Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Song categories at the Golden Globes."

"What about the Oscars?" Hardy asked.

"Haven't you heard? The Golden Globes are a barometer for the Oscars."

In the afternoon, three to four hundred guests had already arrived, and most of them were prominent figures.

However, this fell short of Sigel's expectations.

He was still waiting for the flights. Sigel had specially hired several planes to bring in the guests, including some big names he had invited, such as California senators and officials who would serve as his opening guests.

It had to be said, Sigel's network was indeed extensive, with so many big names, but unfortunately.

Just in the afternoon, around three o'clock, Las Vegas suddenly experienced heavy rain. Las Vegas was a dry desert area with little rainfall, let alone heavy rain.

But today, on the opening day of The Flamingo Casino, they encountered a heavy rainstorm that only occurs once every ten years.

Dark clouds filled the sky, with occasional lightning flashes.

Sigel stood at the window, his face looking unusually grim.

The heavy rain covered the sky.

The phone at the casino rang. Sigel answered, and it was a call from Los Angeles. Due to the rain, none of the planes he had hired could take off.

The invited VIPs couldn't come, and several hundred other guests were also stuck on the road due to the rain. This left Sigel very frustrated.

But the event had already been scheduled, and there were already three to four hundred guests present. The show had to go on.

At six o'clock in the evening, the casino officially opened.

Originally, there was supposed to be a fireworks display, but it had to be canceled due to the rain. Everyone could only hold a simple opening ceremony in the casino.

Without the VIPs, Sigel invited a few well known bigwigs, like Meyer to help with the ribbon cutting.

Under such rushed conditions, the casino officially started its operations.

The guests sat at the tables and started playing. The casino hall gradually became lively, giving Sigel a bit of relief.