Hurry up and wait. And wait a little more. And keep waiting. 

Still waiting? Good. Please keep waiting.

That’s the message the New York State Gaming Commission sent on Monday to anyone and everyone interested in finding out where the three downstate casinos are going. 

In short: Don’t expect any of the 11 presumed bidders to find out if they’re the holders of one of three downstate casino licenses until — at the earliest — late 2025.

“All of which would find a convergence of the zoning approvals, CAC considerations and environmental review completion by late summer 2025, allowing for a Gaming Facility Location Board decision in late 2025 resulting in a commission license consideration before the end of 2025,” said Robert Williams, executive director for the Gaming Commission, during the commission’s semi-regular meeting.

Chairman of commission not thrilled

The chairman of the commission, Brian O’Dwyer, isn’t exactly thrilled with the extended timeline.

“Am I happy about it? No, I am not,” O’Dwyer said, according to NY1. “I wish we could streamline it a little bit. But we have to, as they say, play the cards we were dealt with.”

The “cards,” as it were, are a series of zoning processes and environmental reviews that are necessary before anything can be built, nevermind approved.

One upshot of the ongoing delays is it will give four of the presumed applicants — including New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s bid — time to complete the necessary environmental impact studies.

“It’s important the Gaming Facility Location Board get the maximum number of applicants,” O’Dwyer said. “And if we’re talking about, it’s been so long now. If we’re talking about another five or six months and potentially disqualifying reasonable, serious applicants, I think it’s worth taking that time to do it.”

Photo: Getty Images.