The casino finally opened after a week of preparation.
Li Jin used his connections to invite over twenty bosses to support the house, and also brought in two betting companies.
Yang Jian also had many people supporting him. Zheng Guangyao brought five bosses, and Manager Fan brought twelve people into the venue. These people were likely arranged by Yu Feng, as one of them carried a box of cash, amounting to over a million. Ordinary gamblers wouldn't bring so much cash.
Wu Wangchun brought even more people, over thirty. According to him, besides a few from the Emperor Company who were there to oversee, the rest were his regular clients from his own casino.
His casino couldn't operate openly at the moment, and he couldn't afford to lose these gamblers, so he brought them here.
Additionally, Wu Wangchun also brought a betting company specifically for the gamblers he brought.
Song Jianhao, along with Song Jianmin, Sixi, Laobiao, and Director Zhong, also arrived. However, only Song Jianhao and Director Zhong gambled at the tables.
The casino was set up in the Education Committee's conference room, which was over a hundred square meters, enough to accommodate one to two hundred people gambling.
The offices on both sides of the conference room were converted into rest areas, furnished with sofas and tea tables, equipped with tea, snacks, televisions, and air conditioning.
When gamblers got tired, they could rest and sleep there. The tea, drinks, and snacks were all free, creating a comfortable environment for gambling.
The entire casino was managed by Afeng, with Biaobiao handling the accounts, Liangliang and Anan as the dealers collecting the vig, and Old Wu responsible for the gambling equipment and supervising the Emperor Company.
Of the eight young men Liangliang recruited, two were on the perimeter as lookouts, two were stationed in the monitoring room, and four were inside maintaining order.
Li Jin also arranged for six of his brothers to join. Their main duty was guarding the gates: one at the school gate, two at the two iron gates, one at each of the side evacuation passages, and one assisting Biaobiao with the accounts.
At the start, Wu Wangchun was the dealer. Seeing that the gamblers were all quite affluent, he directly announced a table limit of 100,000, which didn't require consultation with the betting companies.
This was because the casino had such a rule: betting companies would set a minimum table limit based on the casino's prosperity. The Emperor Company couldn't go below this limit, but there was no upper limit. The Emperor Company could choose to raise the table limit, which was naturally beneficial for them.
As it was the first day of operation, Li Jin also personally participated, bringing 100,000 in cash to gamble.
Yang Jian did not gamble. As soon as the game started, Manager Fan pulled him into the rest area.
"Mr. Yang, Ms. Yu was originally going to come, but something came up at home and she was delayed. The bosses here today were all invited by her, and she also sent a million cash for you?"
Manager Fan waved for the young man carrying the box to come over.
Yang Jian was a little surprised: "A million for me?"
"Ms. Yu said this million is for betting on credit. The profit will be split with you. This young man, Xiao Zeng, is Ms. Yu's cousin. He will stay with you from now on to manage the credit betting. What do you think?"
"Cousin?"
Xiao Zeng, who was only in his early twenties, quickly introduced himself: "Mr. Yang, Yu Feng is my cousin-in-law. She asked me to follow you and gain some experience."
So, he was Yu Feng's husband's cousin. Yang Jian finally understood, but he didn't understand why she didn't call him beforehand to inform him about such an important matter.
However, this million came at a good time. The prosperity of a casino didn't depend on the number of people gambling, but on the abundance of cash. Betting companies were an indispensable part of a casino. While they made high profits, they also brought significant cash flow to the casino.
Yu Feng's action was clearly a genuine gesture to support Yang Jian. By placing her cousin-in-law by his side, she also hoped that Yang Jian would genuinely look after the construction project at Xunsi River.
"Xiao Zeng, since you're staying here, you need to follow the arrangements."
After speaking, Yang Jian asked Xiao Zhang, who was in charge of the rest area, to call Afeng and Biaobiao over and introduced Xiao Zeng's situation.
"Xiao Zeng, you'll follow Afeng from now on. He will approve and collect the credit bets. You will cooperate with Biaobiao on the accounts."
"Okay, Mr. Yang. Will I be living with them too?"
"Don't call me Mr. Yang. I'm a few years older than you, call me Brother Jian. Since Sister Feng asked you to follow me, you are now a part of our team. Of course, you'll live together and participate in physical training and combat training. If you can't handle it, you can withdraw voluntarily."
"I can handle it, I can handle it. I like sports."
Xiao Zeng had a good physique, suggesting he exercised regularly.
Biaobiao, however, seemed a bit troubled: "Brother Jian, didn't you say our daily dividends would also be used for credit betting? How will the accounts be managed then?"
Using the money from the vig to bet on credit was a common tactic for betting companies, essentially extracting more profit from gamblers and rapidly accumulating funds.
Yang Jian had intended from the beginning to follow the model of Old Pan's casino: the casino's daily dividends would not be distributed to shareholders, except for Li Jin's shares. Instead, they would be accumulated for credit betting to maximize profits.
At the same time, concentrating funds had another advantage: if the casino was raided by the police and some brothers were arrested, these funds could be quickly used for their rescue, eliminating the need for shareholders to raise money, thus improving efficiency.
According to Yang Jian's plan, at the end of each month, the company would take out a sum of money to be distributed as dividends based on shares, with the amount determined by the total sum. Enough money would be retained for credit betting, and the final distribution would occur at the end of the year or when the casino closed.
Biaobiao's question clearly conflicted with the previous plan. A betting company couldn't keep two sets of books for credit betting; it would lead to chaos.
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Zeng, call Sister Feng. She's investing this million in the betting company. I have a total of five shares, and I'll give her two. Ask her if she's willing."
Xiao Zeng nodded and immediately stepped aside to make the call.
In less than a minute, Xiao Zeng returned and handed the phone to Yang Jian: "My cousin-in-law wants to speak with you."
"Er Jian, I apologize. I couldn't come personally to support the house due to a family matter. Xiao Zeng has already conveyed your proposal to me. I agree to invest, but I only want a one percent share. Even so, I feel like I'm taking advantage of you."
Yu Feng was well aware of the influence Yang Jian and Li Jin held in Xunsi River. The casino they were opening would not be small, and the future profits would be substantial. Being able to invest a million and hold a one percent share was not something anyone could do. The profits gained would be far greater than those from credit betting.
More importantly, being tied to Yang Jian would ensure the safety of the construction site in Xunsi River, which was more worthwhile than earning a few million.
"Sister Feng, then it will be as you wish, one percent share. I'll also give Xiao Zeng a salary. But I don't understand why you didn't inform me beforehand about such an important matter."
"To avoid suspicion. You have a girlfriend now, and I need to minimize direct contact and communication with you, especially given the previous rumors. However, I don't want to completely cut ties with you, so having my husband's brother follow you is more appropriate. From now on, all our business dealings can be conducted through him."
"Sister Feng, thank you for your understanding."
Yang Jian expressed his sincere gratitude. Yu Feng had considered everything very thoroughly. Yu Feng needed Yang Jian's protection, and Yang Jian needed capital and connections. This way, it wouldn't affect his relationship with Lu Yao, and they could mutually support each other.