THE casino initiative has failed on Guam four times, but gaming proposals seem to have become a mainstay in local elections. The “No on Prop A” signs are stashed in storage, waiting to be retrieved and dusted off every election season.

But gambling proponents are relentless, apparently still not convinced by the charming power and influence of Jackie Marati and the Committee to Keep Guam Good. They are hoping that someday, maybe someday, Guam voters would eventually throw their hands in the air and say, “Oh, what the heck, bring it on!”

Hence the new Prop A, which seeks to legalize the operation of bingo slot machines and electronic bingo at the former Guam Greyhound Park in Tamuning. Incidentally, the cursed facility was also the proposed site of the last ill-fated casino initiative launched by John Baldwin, who presented a grand plan for an amusement center that he touted to be the driver of tourism, a job mill, and the economic salvation for Guam.

So now comes the proposed “Guam Japan Friendship Village.” You hear Takimi Hisamoto’s radio spot, promoting Prop A using the good-for-tourism template.

Speaking at the Guam Chamber of Commerce earlier this week, bingo village representative Jennifer Dockter sought to reinforce the tourism gospel, saying, “All we have to do is have one visitor spend an additional dollar and it is already benefitting Guam.” I think the bingo village needs a better marketing agent.

Sure, Guam’s man'åmko' play bingo to while away their time, but as Ms. Marati pointed out, tourists do not come to the island to gamble. They go to Macau. They go to Tinian.

But in an island with limited industries, gaming proponents repeatedly attempt to appeal to what matters most, i.e. the economy. Tourism – the main driver of the local economy – is our favorite catchword, and using it as a template for any curious proposal seems to be a desperate pattern on Guam.

If we decide to succumb to desperation, there are other areas we can exploit in the name of tourism.

To wit:

Legalize same-sex marriage. Seriously, I am all for gay marriage and this is a golden opportunity. New York has launched the “Save the Date” campaign which is linked to the legalization of same-sex marriage in the Empire State. It could also create a bumper tourism industry. We’re looking for big spenders? Gay couples spend big time on Royal-like wedding productions.

While Guam may not be a wedding destination for gay couples, it is actually the divorce destination for those seeking liberation as quickly as they could get fast-food. An ad posted on the Moroni Law Offices website reads: “Fast U.S. divorce from Guam, a seven-day visit to paradise is required.”

Legalize medical marijuana. The Philippine tourism’s “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” slogan would lose its piquancy. With everyone likely to claim some sort of a disease that can only be cured by weed, it would be “More Fun in Guam – Where America’s Stoned Day Begins.”

But then again, despite the island’s confused sense of morality, previous elections have established that Guam knows what it wants and what it doesn’t.