New York gaming regulators have unanimously approved licenses for three new casinos, defying skeptics who believe the already saturated northeast US casino market doesn’t need any more capacity.

Monday’s approval comes almost one year to the day that the New York State Gaming Commission’s Facility Location Board announced that the three projects had been selected from 16 proposals submitted by hopeful operators.

On Monday, the Gaming Commission approved the three licenses without comment, noting only that none of the projects’ principals and associates appeared to be on the FBI’s most wanted list and that the applications had cleared their environmental, legal and financial hurdles.

The three projects are the (Genting Americas-controlled) Empire Resorts’ $630m Montreign Resort Casino in Sullivan county, Wilmorite/Peninsula Pacific’s $425m Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca county and Rush Street Gaming’s $300m Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady. The Lago venue is expected to open in H1 2017 while the other two won’t launch until the following year.