Gambling will further expand in the New York State as gambling regulators recently awarded new licenses to three casinos under construction in different parts of the state. The three new casinos are expected to come with more job opportunities, tax revenues and tourist attractions.

The Province reports that all five members of the Gaming Commission unanimously approved the licenses without any comment about the gambling resorts, which will house hotels, restaurants, performance centers, slot machines and poker rooms.

The three casinos are namely Montreign Resort Casino in the Sullivan County town of Thompson, Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady and Lago Resort & Casino in the Seneca County town of Tyre.

Furthermore, the approval comes with the assurance that the casinos, as well as their principals and associates, were cleared of criminal background checks and met environmental, legal and financial requirements, the publication reports.

The news outlet stressed that the new projects would have a positive effect on the economic status of the state, despite reports claiming that there had been an increased competition from the opening of several gambling sites.

With the three new casinos, 3,200 full-time jobs are expected to open while generating $265 million in taxes along with $136 million in licensing fees when the casinos open in 2017 or 2018.

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that the initial reaction from business owners are also positive. "I'm just happy for the company and the people of Sullivan County," said Manny Pearlman, chief executive of Empire Resorts and owner-operator of Montreign. "It's been a long time coming."

The approval also comes with a highly anticipated tourism attraction according to Charles A. Degliomini, an executive at Empire Resorts. "We're looking for players not only on a regional basis but on a national and international basis," he said.

However, the news comes after analysts already warned business owners that the competition is tight since there are already numerous casinos including those in Atlantic City that experienced declining revenues.

"A lot of the new casinos are going to take market share from existing casinos,'' Peter Trombetta, an analyst at Moody's Investors Service, said as quoted by the news outlet. "That's what's happening elsewhere," he added.

The casinos are currently under construction and are expected to be fully operational by 2018, Charles Degliomini of Montreign Resort Casino Project said on Monday. The said casino is valued at $630 million. Meanwhile, Rivers Casino & Resort at Mohawk Harbor is valued at $330 million while the Lago Resort & Casino is reportedly a $425-million project, the Province reports.