TLDR New Hampshire’s Supreme Court upheld the revocation of Andy Sanborn’s Concord Casino gaming license on Oct. 28. The court also backed regulators’ refusal to approve a buyer or extend Sanborn’s deadline to sell. A proposed sale worth up to $40 million fell apart over concerns about the buyer’s finances and Sanborn’s ongoing role. Sanborn pleaded guilty in July to stealing $255,232 in federal pandemic relief funds. Prosecutors plan to recommend a prison sentence of one year and one day.
New Hampshire’s Supreme Court has upheld the revocation of a casino license held by former Republican state senator Andy Sanborn. The ruling came on Wednesday, Oct. 28.
The court rejected an appeal from Sanborn and his company, Win Win Win LLC. The company ran Concord Casino in the state capital.
The decision also backed the New Hampshire Lottery and Gaming Commission on two other points. The commission had refused to approve a buyer for the casino and declined to extend Sanborn’s deadline to sell.
Why Sanborn Had to Sell Concord Casino
State investigators concluded that Sanborn improperly obtained $844,000 in federal pandemic relief loans. They alleged he spent some of the money on two Porsches and a Ferrari.
After that finding, Sanborn was ordered to sell Concord Casino. The casino closed in January 2024.
His gaming license was later revoked because he did not complete a sale to a buyer approved by regulators.
Sanborn had lined up a deal with an unnamed buyer that could have been worth up to $40 million. It included a $10 million upfront price and another $30 million in payments over five years.
Those later payments depended on certain conditions. One was the buyer getting approval to run historic horse racing machines.
Regulators rejected the deal. They questioned whether the buyer had