Once again, New York pols are looking to bet on casinos. Will they never learn?

In 2014, lawmakers OK’d four upstate casinos, while banning others until at least 2023. Now, Gov. Kathy Hochul and other pols, along with real-estate companies, casino operators and labor unions, are pushing to lift the ban this year. Hochul’s budget would let the New York Gaming Facility Location Board issue a Request for Applications for three new gambling sites. State budget director Robert Mujica says the focus will likely be on “downstate” venues, with New York City the big prize.

What’s driving them? Visions of a vast sea of cash, natch. Pols think new casinos will help the post-pandemic economy — and gin up tax revenues they can then spend on their favorite causes. Casino operators see new profits; the real-estate industry, rising property values; unions, more jobs, better pay and new members.

Giant problem No. 1: Casinos are far from a safe bet. No. 2: They carry ugly collateral damage.

“I love it!” gushed Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Mount Vernon), who chairs the Standing Committee on Racing and Wagering, of Hochul’s plan. “We can issue licenses this year and raise anywhere from $1 billion to $2 billion in revenues.” State Sen. Mike Gianaris, who played a major role in killing a huge Amazon project in Queens, asks: “Why not do [casinos] sooner?”

“We’ll be able to hire and train hundreds of new union members, generate significant additional revenue for public schools and drive economic activity,” promises casino operator Resorts World.  Notably, Genting Group, which owns Resorts, contributed $47,100 to Hochul’s campaign war chest.

Yet the lure of newfound cash has led to a national explosion of casinos and online wagering that has diluted the betting pool, leaving operators struggling — and tax revenue short of projections. Atlantic City has seen several casinos close over the years; four are now in such trouble they need New Jersey taxpayers to bail them out. The four in upstate New York, too, have seen tough financial times.

Meanwhile, the government’s promotion of gambling, which can wipe out those who can least afford it, is nothing short of perverse, especially as a way to raise revenue. New York already squeezes more than $110 billion from residents (over $5,600 for every man, woman and child) in taxes and fees; gambling is essentially a regressive tax added to that.

As for the economy, Albany has far better ways to boost it: Roll back taxes, for starters, lift its crazy mandates on employers — paid leave, minimum wage, etc. — and make the state generally more hospitable to business. Scrapping ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s cynical fracking ban alone could ignite the upstate economy practically overnight.

Besides, after the billions it got from Washington and last year’s outrageous tax hike, Albany doesn’t need more cash. What the state does need is a better business climate. And political leaders who’ll put decency ahead of greed.