The Tyrant Billionaire

Chapter 195: Chapter 195 Acquiring Land in Las Vegas

After the real estate company was established, Andy sent people to gather information, and soon a report was placed in front of Hardy.

"Boss, we found the land transaction center and verified that part of the land you want belongs to the government, and some have already been sold to private owners."

"The government has reserved some land for public construction, but the rest can be sold to the public, with prices ranging from 500 to 800 dollars per acre, depending on the location."

"For privately owned land, the price is generally higher, roughly around 4,000 dollars per acre, which is quite expensive."

Hardy knew this. Sigel had mentioned that the Flamingo covered 30 acres, and the land cost more than 80,000 dollars, roughly 2,700 dollars per acre.

Hardy nodded after hearing this.

"Buy all the land available for purchase in the name of the real estate company. However, make sure to inform the land transaction center that the transactions must be confidential and cannot be disclosed to the public."

"Yes, boss."

"What about the newspapers and radio stations I asked you to inquire about?"

"We found out that Las Vegas has three newspapers. The largest one is the Las Vegas News, which has been around for over twenty years."

"The Las Vegas News publishes every other day, mainly reporting local news, national events, and international news. It has a circulation of about 5,000 copies, making it a very small newspaper."

"The owner of the newspaper is named Benedict. He initially invested a few hundred dollars. We estimate the current value of the Las Vegas News to be between 10,000 and 12,000 dollars."

"Las Vegas has only one radio station, owned by Colin Firth, who is also the announcer. The equipment is valued at about 3,000 dollars, and we think we can offer 10,000 dollars for the acquisition."

Hardy understood everything.

"Andy, approach the newspaper and radio station for acquisition. Tell them that if they refuse, HD will establish new newspapers and radio stations, making their future even more difficult," Hardy said.

"After acquiring the newspaper and radio station, have them release the news. I've already drafted the headlines and outlines. Let your subordinates write a few articles analyzing the future economy of Las Vegas."

Hardy handed a draft to Andy.

"Las Vegas is Rapidly Declining: Where Should We Go from Here?"

"Flamingo Casino Invests $8 Million, Loses Millions in Three Months and Closes: Why?"

"Some members of Congress are discussing whether to stop Nevada's open gambling policy."

"It is reported that real estate companies that previously invested in Las Vegas are not optimistic about the future here, and are all secretly selling off their land."

The "shock style" headlines from the future were used to predict the decline of Las Vegas from various angles, creating a sense of panic among readers.

People of this era have little access to information, and newspapers, magazines, and radio stations are still very authoritative in their hearts. After seeing such news, some people will definitely panic.

After the pressure of public opinion is formed, the Beautiful Home Real Estate Company will purchase land again. Those who hold the land will definitely be willing to sell it as soon as possible to avoid investment losses.

Andy took people to find the boss of the newspaper. When the boss heard that someone wanted to buy it, he immediately asked for a high price of 50,000 US dollars.

"Mr. Benedict, your newspaper has only three people: a chief editor, a text editor, and an external liaison person. I heard that sometimes you can't even pay salaries," Andy said.

"If you didn't run a hotel yourself, the newspaper would have had a hard time surviving. Am I right, Mr. Benedict?"

Benedict's face turned a bit awkward at Andy's words.

"But our Las Vegas News is the largest circulating newspaper in Las Vegas. That's our advantage," Benedict argued.

Andy spread his hands with a smile.

"Alright, I admit that. Otherwise, we wouldn't have chosen it. If you refuse to be acquired, our boss intends to start a new newspaper and distribute it for free. How long do you think the Las Vegas News can last?" Andy said.

Benedict's eyes widened. "A free newspaper? How will you make money? How will you sustain the newspaper?"

Andy smiled slightly. "HD Group has countless advertising resources to place. Just one advertisement fee can print countless newspapers."

Benedict surrendered. Faced with big capital, he really had no resistance.

Fortunately, Andy didn't push the price too low in the end, offering a very reasonable price of 12,000 dollars to acquire the entire newspaper.

The radio station acquisition was surprisingly smooth.

Andy found the boss Colin Firth and expressed his intention to acquire his radio Station. Colin Firth, who was only 30 years old, almost jumped up with joy.

"Great, I am willing to sell it to you, But can I stay on as a host?" Colin Firth asked.

"Of course," Andy replied.

Colin Firth was somewhat famous in Las Vegas and could certainly stay.

"Will the radio station have TV equipment in the future? I used to work at a TV station in New York, and I think Las Vegas should have its own TV station," Colin Firth said.

Andy smiled, "That's exactly what our boss thinks."

"Okay, That's great!" Colin Firth said happily.

The next day, the Las Vegas News was officially revamped as a daily newspaper and started distributing for free, increasing its circulation to 10,000 copies.

The newspaper featured advertisements for various HD related industries.

The headline on the front page of today's newspaper is extremely shocking, "Las Vegas gambling industry ushered in a cold winter!!!"

"In 1946, Las Vegas had 32 casinos, but how many gamblers were there each year? According to statistics, the annual number of tourists was less than 40,000, with each staying for less than a week. This means that only about 20 tourists enter the casinos daily, spending an average of 20 dollars each. The gross income for each casino was only about 400 dollars, with a profit of 100 dollars."

"The newly built Flamingo Casino, far more luxurious than other casinos, originally aimed to attract many customers. But it closed within three months, losing over a million dollars."

"The failure of the Flamingo has severely dampened investor enthusiasm. No one wants to invest in a losing business. In recent months, land transactions in Las Vegas have significantly decreased. Some are secretly selling their previously hoarded land at prices even lower than the original purchase price."

Detailing Las Vegas's problems, many readers felt that Las Vegas was truly finished after reading the report.

On the same day, Colin Firth also discussed the issue on the radio, with many doubting the future of Las Vegas.

"What does Nevada have? Besides the Mojave Desert and scorching heat, it lacks the pastures of Texas and the mines of Arizona. Without casinos, Las Vegas land is worthless. The current land price in Las Vegas is already among the highest in the nation. If the proposal to cancel gambling is passed, oh my, it would be a disaster.

Las Vegas would become a ghost town within a few years, and land value would drop to zero."