The NH Lottery Commission (NHLC) suspended the license of a Concord casino owner and former NH state senator for allegedly purchasing luxury cars with a fraudulently obtained COVID-19 Emergency Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) in 2021 and 2022. The loan was obtained through the Small Business Administration.
EIDL loans were used during the pandemic to provide funding to help small businesses recover from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The NHLC suspended Andy Sanborn’s gaming licenses for six months effective Jan. 1. Sanborn, a Republican from Bedford who served in the NH Senate from 2010 to 2018, is the owner of Concord Casino and The Draft on South Main Street in Concord and had been planning to open a larger gaming facility in Concord.
Following an appeal to the Lottery Commission to permanently suspend Sanborn’s operating license in August 2023, an independent examiner for the case was approved and a report was released in late December 2023. The report alleges Sanborn fraudulently obtained $844,000 and misrepresented how that money was spent.
On his application for EIDL funds, Sanborn listed the legal name and the trade name for the casino as Win, Win, Win, LLC. The actual trade name is Concord Casino.
Sanborn purchased three race cars for personal use, totaling $181,250, including two Porsche 987 Caymen S race cars as well as a 2008 F430 Ferrari for his spouse, Rep. Laurie Sanborn, according to the lottery commission’s report. The cars were listed in tax forms as miscellaneous expenses.
According to independent hearing examiner Michael King, the misrepresentations on Sanborn’s EIDL amount to “conduct by the licensee that undermines the public’s confidence in charitable gaming.”
The suspension is for a six-month period pending a forced sale to an NHLC approved buyer. If no sale has been approved in that time, the suspension will become a revocation, according to the report.
Michael Garrity, director of communications for the NH Department of Justice, says a request for a rehearing had not been scheduled as of Jan. 8. He says he could not comment on whether more cases like this one are being investigated.
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