The entrepreneur is touting the fictional Michael Tiranno as a kind of anti-hero for the ages, spanning not just graphic novels and books, but ultimately films and real life, too.

With Las Vegas as his base, Boccardi said this week that the Tyrant - whose adventures were detailed in the novel "The Seven Sins: The Tyrant Ascending" by Jon Land - will be expanding into comics, games and other media, too, with a blend of fantasy, true crime, luxury and, of course, secrets.

DC Entertainment is developing the character's growth in comics, while Boccardi, chief executive of King Midas World, hopes to one day meld fiction with fact and develop the casino in the story, dubbed "Seven Sins."

So far, with the first novel released in 2008, and a second due from publisher Tor, Boccardi is sketching out how Tiranno's harsh upbringing in Sicily and his arrival in the United States is fomenting more opportunities, particularly when it comes to a mysterious relic - a medallion tendered from gold inscribed with the Latin words "Somnia, Aude, Vince," or "To Dream, To Dare, To Win," in English.

Boccardi said that Tiranno, whom he called dark and complex yet a man of his word, is the foundation of a franchise.

"We have always envisioned an enduring Franchise with Tyrant, and the foundation for a new brand," he said, noting that the agreement with DC is a step forward.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)