This week, word leaked that Amazon may be close to finalizing a deal to set up a major operation in Long Island City, Queens. The news, which was embraced with peak sycophancy by Gov. Andrew Cuomo — he literally offered to change his name to “Amazon Cuomo” to make it happen — came with a slap in the face to New York and every other state that bid for this deal.

For the past year, Amazon has been promoting a cruel tournament, asking cities to compete for the privilege of hosting a second headquarters outside Seattle — what the company called “HQ2.” The winner was promised tens of thousands of jobs and the tempting vision of becoming a tech hub to rival San Francisco. Hundreds of cities prostrated themselves before Amazon, offering the company tax breaks and subsidies along with valuable data , such as infrastructure plans, to which no other company had access.

But as details of the reported deal trickle out, it seems clear that this whole tournament has been a sham. There is no HQ2. Instead, Amazon is expected to announce a fairly routine expansion, adding new satellites in Queens and in Northern Virginia. The countless hours spent courting Amazon were undoubtedly valuable for Amazon: the company gained free media coverage and untold amounts of economic data from each bidding city. But it has been a terrible waste for those cities and states whose public servants labored to win a prize that would never materialize. Even for the biggest Amazon boosters, such casual dishonesty should be cause for consternation. It’s like getting a marriage offer along with a confession of infidelity.