Gambling companies competing to build a casino in Manhattan, one of the industry’s most coveted untapped markets, face skepticism from officials who would need to approve projects in the heart of the city.

Real-estate and casino developers are pitching several sites in midtown Manhattan, including on the top floors of the Saks Fifth Avenue across from Rockefeller Center and in the very heart of Times Square. It’s vital to be near the city center to draw the right mix of tourists and wealthy clients, they said.

For years, New Yorkers have had to leave the city limits to gamble at full-fledged casinos in Atlantic City or rural Connecticut. Four casinos in upstate New York have opened since 2014.