Andy Sanborn, owner of Concord Casino in New Hampshire, has won a further delay against the state lottery as he continues his defense case to keep his gambling licenses. The request was approved by Superior Court Judge Amy Ignatius last week and has pushed the hearing back to after December 11.
Sanborn, the former New Hampshire senator, was announced to have legal proceedings set against him after the results of an investigation were published on August 31. The investigation, undertaken by the commission and the Attorney General's Office, accused Sanborn of fraudulently obtaining $844,000 intended for federal Covid-19 relief funds, making him unsuitable to continue carrying his charity gaming license.
Stemming from these findings, Sanborn requested a public hearing to allow him to keep his charitable gaming license. A hearing was held on October 23; however, due to Sanborn’s legal team failing to respond to all discovery requests, among other factors, a second hearing was scheduled.
In a report put together on Sanborn by the Lottery Commission, it was stated that, "Despite nearly five years of licensed operations, we have grave concerns with Concord Casino's continuing involvement in gaming in New Hampshire.
“This review has identified that Mr. Sanborn has a general disregard for compliance with laws, rules and procedures."
Despite the investigation concluding that the fraudulently obtained Covid-19 funds were used on the former Senators personal expenses, Concord Casino has continued to run successfully. This is despite Sanborn not fulfilling the charity donations expected under his license, keeping half of the expected payouts through rent charged to charities.
Sanborn’s license is expected to expire at the end of the year.
