ALBANY — Eight bidders are expected to apply for three downstate casino licenses by the deadline Friday, a milepost that marks the beginning of the homestretch of a lucrative chase that’s lasted for years.

It was 12 years ago when New York voters approved a statewide referendum to amend the constitution to sanction casino gambling. Four were built upstate initially — state leaders wanted to give them at least a five years’ head start toward establishing themselves before allowing downstate expansion.

For a while, downstate licenses were expected to be issued in 2023. Now, the final three licenses are set to be awarded by year’s end.

The bids are expected to be linked to sites at Coney Island in Brooklyn; Aqueduct Racetrack and Citi Field in Queens; near the United Nations, the far West Side and Times Square in Manhattan; Ferry Point in the Bronx; and Yonkers Raceway.

But the field also is noticeable by who’s not there, a leading analyst said.

In the last few months, the biggest casino news in New York has been the withdrawal of Wynn Resorts in Manhattan and Las Vegas Sands in Nassau County. After spending years building up their proposals, wooing and enlisting local supporters, each abruptly dropped out just weeks before the bidding deadline.

"Sands and Wynn are A-list casino developers. To see them fade away is a major surprise," said Bennett Liebman, a government law professor at Albany Law School of Union University and a former member of the state Racing and Wagering Board.

"That tells you something about the obstacle course set up by the State Legislature, which made it difficult for some developers to get involved," Liebman said.

A range of zoning, environmental and economic requirements "basically added two years to the process," he said. It ended up also requiring the New York City Council to make zoning changes and some bidders to seek legislation in Albany to propose building on certain sites, which they received.

The state Gaming Commission set a deliberate course, wanting to ensure that any issues such as zoning would be resolved before applications were weighed.

And another milepost will be approval by local Community Advisory Committees, which every bidder needs to obtain before the Siting Board even will consider the application. Those councils must vote by Sept. 30.

And that’s where the field might change again.

Wynn Resorts dropped its proposed casino for Hudson Yards because, the company said, it became clear it would never overcome local opposition.

And while Manhattan might be the most lucrative borough for customers and revenue, all the proposals there face potential opposition.

"Maybe that’s the No. 1 question now: Does anyone in Manhattan get through the process?" Liebman said.

Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal (D-Manhattan), who won the Democratic primary for Manhattan borough president on Tuesday, has been a vocal casino opponent. Assemb. Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria), winner of the Democratic mayoral primary, generally has opposed casinos; incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has been a supporter.

Even though none of them will have a vote on licenses, it’s widely seen that Manhattan is less enthusiastic than other potential casino hosts.

In advance of the application deadline, the companies backing the Times Square proposal held a rally Thursday which included labor and hotel representatives, vendors and neighborhood leaders. The Rev. Al Sharpton announced his support, too.

Not far away, a coalition of Broadway stars, stagehands and ushers, block associations and nonprofits held a "No Times Square Casino" rally.

In another late development, the principals behind the expected West Side bid this week announced that Hyatt hotels has joined a project dubbed "Avenir," a move seen as boosting their prospects.

As of late Thursday, just one bidder announced its application submission ahead of the deadline: The Mohegan-Soloviev Group project set for Manhattan’s East Side near the UN, dubbed "Freedom Plaza."

Like its competitors, the group is proposing not just a casino but an encompassing development plan. In their case, it involves 500 new housing units, a market, a day care center and two hotels, among other things.

Said Soloviev CEO Michael Hershman: "This application represents years of meaningful listening and collaboration, and it will uniquely deliver what New Yorkers need most: accessible green space, housing that working families can afford and well-paying union jobs."