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Chapter Thirteen: The Empty Interior
The Empty Interior is the region that is home to Las Vegas. The land that Las Vegas occupies, according to the textbook, is owned by The Bureau of Land Management and other Federal agencies (258). In other words none of it is owned by the public, in fact "the U.S. government controls almost 90 percent of all land" (257-259). Las Vegas does not house any of the lakes from the Pleistocene era (the nearest is Pyramid Lake in Northern Nevada), nor does it contain any of the national parks (which may be due to the fact that all of the parks are created "to preserve the unique or highly unusual sections of the natural environment" (260) and Las Vegas, as we know, does not have much of a 'natural' environment.) One thing that Las Vegas does have a lot of is tourists. Las Vegas' economy is fueled by its gaming industry which brings over $800 million in revenue a month. Legalised in 1931, gambling became more than just a game of high stakes, it became an industry, and now "the state gambling taxes account for 45 percent of Nevada's revenues" (267). Even though many people are still visiting Vegas the most recent economic recession has taken its toll on the city; Gambling revenues are down 4 percent, and many construction projects have been placed on hold. Despite all of the financial restraints, Las Vegas has still managed to "stay alive" and keep every display of lights shining bright.
The Empty Interior is the region that is home to Las Vegas. The land that Las Vegas occupies, according to the textbook, is owned by The Bureau of Land Management and other Federal agencies (258). In other words none of it is owned by the public, in fact "the U.S. government controls almost 90 percent of all land" (257-259). Las Vegas does not house any of the lakes from the Pleistocene era (the nearest is Pyramid Lake in Northern Nevada), nor does it contain any of the national parks (which may be due to the fact that all of the parks are created "to preserve the unique or highly unusual sections of the natural environment" (260) and Las Vegas, as we know, does not have much of a 'natural' environment.) One thing that Las Vegas does have a lot of is tourists. Las Vegas' economy is fueled by its gaming industry which brings over $800 million in revenue a month. Legalised in 1931, gambling became more than just a game of high stakes, it became an industry, and now "the state gambling taxes account for 45 percent of Nevada's revenues" (267). Even though many people are still visiting Vegas the most recent economic recession has taken its toll on the city; Gambling revenues are down 4 percent, and many construction projects have been placed on hold. Despite all of the financial restraints, Las Vegas has still managed to "stay alive" and keep every display of lights shining bright. 
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