Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak wants to build crypto-run private cities in the desert

Nevada, the state of legalized gambling, prostitution and marijuana, is about to add another layer to its Wild West reputation: Desert cities formed by companies and run entirely on blockchain technology.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak held a press conference on Friday to lay out his futuristic plan to open “Innovation Zones” on thousands of acres of privately owned desert that would allow private corporations specializing in emerging technology to form local governments complete with the right to impose taxes and create school districts or even courts.

It was Sisolak’s most detailed discussion of the plan, which has not yet been introduced to the legislature. He said the cities would be run entirely on blockchain technology, the digital ledger primarily used to transfer cryptocurrencies, allowing residents to buy goods, pay bills, transfer property deeds and obtain marriage licenses all using cyber coins. 

One big winner would be Jeffrey Berns, the founder and CEO Blockchains LLC, who purchased almost 70,000 acres of Nevada desert east of Reno in 2018 and said he wants to found a blockchain-based community.

Elon Musk’s massive Tesla battery gigafactory is also located in the same county as Berns’ recent landgrab. While there’s no indication billionaire electric car tycoon wants in on the plan, he would seem to be an ideal candidate given Tesla’s surprise and market-moving $1.5 billion investment in Bitcoin earlier this month.

Of course, for Tesla to build its own autonomous zone, Musk would need to add almost 48,000 acres to meet the 50,000 acres of contiguous, uninhabited land required for a company to meet the rules of the proposed legislation. The rules would also require a $1 billion investment over 10 years.

During a Friday afternoon press conference addressing the plan, Sissolak said Nevada needs a bold new vision to recover from the ravages of the pandemic on the state’s tourism-centric economy.

“This is different than anything that’s ever been proposed before,” he said, hammering home the vision of interconnected modern communities bringing jobs and commerce to unused land. “Companies can collaborate on a future together that would make Nevada not just a national but global leader in Blockchain technology.

While short on some details, like how a so-called Stablecoin would be designed to facilitate a fully Blockchain economy within a US state, and who would pay for roads in and out of what would be essentially private cities, the governor asked Nevadans to think big.

“There’s gonna be a lot of naysayers,” he said at the end of the presser. “I get that, but take a moment to look at the proposal.”