Explosive Sales

"Karl, this problem isn't actually that hard to solve," Oscar said after a moment's thought.

Karl looked at Oscar, eager to hear how he would crack this tough nut.

"Karl, the company we're going to set up will be called the Welfare Lottery Company. What does 'welfare lottery' mean? It means a portion of the lottery sales profits will go toward building social welfare programs. For example, providing food and medical subsidies for the poor, funding orphanages, and so on. That way, we'll gain immense social prestige. If anyone tries to move against us, they'll have to think twice about public backlash," Oscar said with a smile.

More often than not, social prestige was a shield in its own right. With a towering reputation, many underhanded tactics simply couldn't be used anymore. Otherwise, it would stir up a fierce outcry from the whole society.

"Your Highness, that's a fine approach," Karl nodded.

"Besides, the lottery market is a massive cake. Even as a prince, I can't swallow it all alone. So I've decided to give a portion of the profits to the royal family. That way, with the royals backing us, no one—no matter how bold—would dare touch us!" Oscar continued.

If he could, he'd naturally want to gobble up every last bit of profit. But his position was still too small and fragile to withstand that kind of pressure. The only way was to share some of the benefits to secure the rest. That was still better than being devoured down to the bone.

"With the royal family's support, towering social prestige, and Your Highness's own status, there shouldn't be anyone left in all of Germany who'd dare scheme against us," Karl nodded repeatedly, impressed by how thoroughly Oscar had thought it through.

As for profit distribution, Oscar's plan was this: twenty percent of the profits would go to social welfare, twenty percent to the royal family, and the remaining sixty percent would be his to control. After all, if Oscar was going to keep his promise and donate a Battleship to the German Navy, the funds needed were no small sum.

"Alright, then let's do it. Tomorrow, we'll register the company, find office space, and start preparations. Within three months, our lottery will officially hit the market," Oscar said.

Even though three months was too short for preparation, time was tight, and he didn't have the luxury to drag it out.

"Your Highness, we can first roll it out across North Germany. Once we succeed there, expanding into South Germany will be much easier. Of course, we need to apply for patents first. Otherwise, those bastards will start copying us in no time," Karl said through gritted teeth.

Oscar nodded. "Then after we register the company, we'll file for patents."

"This is all my savings—Five million Marks. Use it as the company's startup capital. If we're careful, it should be enough. You'll be the company's legal representative. I'll give you twenty percent of the company's shares," Oscar said. Given his status, it wasn't suitable for him to appear as the legal representative. Karl was the perfect choice.

"Your Highness, it's an honor to partner with you. Besides, this is a sure-win project. If I took that many shares without putting in a cent, I'd never feel right. Consider this my investment," Karl said, pulling a check from his coat.

Oscar took it and saw it was a check from the German Commercial Bank, worth one million Marks.

"Karl, where did you get so much money?"

"Your Highness, this was startup capital my father gave me," Karl said with a grin.

"Haha, looks like Lord Jonarait is quite supportive of us," Oscar laughed heartily.

"But Karl, even though you hold twenty percent of the shares, you'll only get ten percent of the profits. The other forty percent will go to social welfare and the royal family."

"Of course, Your Highness, I understand. Even ten percent of the profits is more than enough for me," Karl said with sincere earnestness. He knew that even ten percent would be an astronomical sum. After all, with Oscar's plan to hold three draws a week, the yearly total would be mind-boggling.

The next day, Oscar and Karl registered the company and began filing patents. The patents Oscar applied for weren't limited to just the Double Color Ball; they also included other lottery formats from later eras, like the Super Lotto.

Oscar's status as a prince earned him many privileges when handling these matters. What would normally take ages to process was all wrapped up within a week.

After that, the company started recruiting employees, and preparations for the lottery's launch kicked off in earnest.

The lottery tickets were printed by a specialized printing house Oscar and Karl had specifically sought out, complete with custom anti-counterfeiting marks. And since lottery sales back then weren't connected nationwide like in later times, each ticket had two parts: one held by the buyer, and the other archived by the company after sale. Sales would stop six hours before the draw. All archived tickets would be shipped to Berlin to prevent any inside jobs or fraudulent prize claims.

To promote the lottery, Oscar placed heavy ads in all the major German newspapers. The tagline was irresistibly tempting: "Want to get rich overnight? Play the Double Color Ball—Five million Marks await you!"

The massive ad spending drained their funds like water. Millions of Marks quickly ran dry. But at the same time, the relentless ad blitz made the Double Color Ball a sensation even before sales began. Gamblers across Germany went wild for it. Even people who never bought lottery tickets were drawn in.

In this era, few could resist the lure of a five-million-Mark jackpot. Winning the first prize truly meant getting rich overnight.

Time ticked by. On November 18, 1904, the German Welfare Lottery Company's Double Color Ball tickets went on sale across all of Germany. Originally, they'd only planned to sell in North Germany, but the ads were so powerful that the South German region was quickly covered too.

At lottery sales points everywhere, lines stretched long from the moment doors opened. The Double Color Ball was an absolute smash hit.