There was apparently quite a circus on Beacon Hill yesterday as opponents of Governor Patrick’s casino bill (he wants to license three resort casinos in Massachusetts) debated and fought to kill the measure.

In light of all this debate, I’ve just posted a story in NNB’s news section about an MGH researcher who’s found that pathological gambling activates the same reward region in the brain as cocaine addiction. The study suggests that compulsive gambling is an addiction, rather than just an impulse disorder as it’s currently classified today.