New York state is facing a budget crunch, and casino lobbyists say they have a solution: expand gambling options in and around New York City.

Representatives of Las Vegas Sands Corp. traveled to Albany last week to meet with leaders of the state Senate. They have hired lobbyists close to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and hope to build a facility somewhere in the five boroughs that will draw in tourists from as far as Florida.

MGM Resorts purchased the Empire City Casino in Yonkers earlier this year, and on Tuesday its executives met with legislators from the area. MGM and Genting Group, which operates the Resorts World Casino near the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, would like to convert their facilities into full-fledged casinos with table games. Currently, the facilities are only allowed to offer video-lottery terminals.

“The New York City gaming market is a tremendous opportunity to generate hundreds of millions of dollars of incremental tax revenue that could be used to support local schools and revitalize the MTA. Additionally, it would allow New York an opportunity to capture tax dollars that are currently flowing out of state,” Genting and MGM said in a joint statement.

In an interview, Sands spokesman Ron Reese estimated that the state could immediately generate $1.5 billion by issuing three new licenses and that three new casinos could generate $900 million a year for the state. Resorts World and Empire City each send about $300 million a year to state coffers.