ALBANY — The panel charged with choosing the locations of four new casinos in New York State said on Thursday that 22 companies had submitted proposals, each paying an initial $1 million application fee, in the first step of what is expected to be an intense bidding process.

The list of applicants released by the New York Gaming Facility Location Board provided only the names of the companies that had submitted the fee. But details about some of the projects have been circulating for months, with the late entry of several major players, including Caesars Entertainment. Caesars, which operates 53 casinos worldwide, said earlier this week that it was planning an entertainment complex worth more than $750 million about 50 miles north of Midtown Manhattan.

On Wednesday, the Genting Group, a major figure in the international gambling industry, said that it too would be vying for a license, promising to build a “destination resort” at one of several locations the company is looking at in the Hudson Valley and Catskill regions. Genting is considering a site in Tuxedo, N.Y., about 40 miles from Manhattan, making it the closest location to New York City under review.