BOSTON (Bloomberg) — Las Vegas Sands Corporation, the world's largest casino company by market value, has held discussions with the Massachusetts governor and legislature about opening a casino as the state explores legalizing gambling.

Billionaire chairman Sheldon Adelson, a Boston native, has "deep relationships there," Las Vegas Sands chairman William Weidner said on a conference call with reporters today.

Governor Deval Patrick said he is considering allowing casinos in an effort to tax some of the millions of dollars gambled annually by Massachusetts residents in neighboring Connecticut. The Mashpee Wampanoag tribe has proposed a casino in Middleborough.

Las Vegas Sands, which operates the Venetian in Las Vegas and is building an $11 billion complex of casinos and hotels in Macau, China, is interested in building a full-scale resort, Weidner said. Adelson still maintains a home in the Boston area and is active in Massachusetts charities.

"It's just a natural discussion for him to be having," Weidner said. "Most definitely, we want to be in the mix and we want to do it better and more interestingly than anyone else."

Las Vegas Sands fell 36 cents to $92.32 in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. It has fallen 3.1 percent this year.