This last week, I took a road trip to move my mom to Phoenix, Arizona. I'm from Washington state, so that was a nice and quick 20-hour drive, that due to a flat tire and frequent diner stops along the way turned into 30 hours and a necessary stop in Las Vegas, Nevada. That day we had driven the entire length of Utah and all the way down to Vegas' corner of Nevada, crossing the borders of five different states.

The fourth consecutive time around listening to Fleetwood Mac's greatest hits album (just as good as the first time, in case you were wondering), we drove through the strip to our hotel Treasure Island. I was torn between appreciating the madness and my senses wanting to explode from the constant stimulation; pedestrians carrying giant mixed drinks and walking in front of my car, and knowing that people in every building were overspending just to test their luck at winning big.

I decided to look into some stats, and according to Business Insider, in 2013, Vegas' casinos brought in over $72 billion dollars. This comes from a human hunger for cash, as well as casino-manipulated playing conditions, such as keeping clocks out of sight so you don't know how much time is passing, and keeping the lights at the same level for the same reason.

In the same year, according to vegaschatter.com, the average gambler in Vegas allowed themselves a gambling budget of about $530. To a college student who has literally been living off ramen noodles for months now, that is so many packs of Oriental and Picante Beef Top Ramen. I guess these statistics are nothing special, but it made me think about what that money could get you in other places, or how many bills that could pay and plane tickets it could buy. I guess what bothered me the most was the mindlessness that came alongside gambling just for the sake of gambling.

In a place that is easily the consumerism capital of the country, somewhere literally designed to make people spend money on superfluous things and stick it in a slot machine with lower chances of winning than someone has of getting bitten by a shark.

It isn't my favorite place in the world, but as an American, I can see how we are drawn to the flashing lights and glamorous lifestyle that comes along with being able to yell "Vegas, baby!