In the hushed, deliberative space of a New Hampshire courtroom, the fate of the Concord Casino lingers in the balance, poised on the precipice of a decision that could upend or uphold its continued operation. At the heart of the contention is Andy Sanborn, a figure known both for his past tenure as a state senator and his current role as the owner of this establishment, enmeshed in a debate over his right to retain the casino’s charitable gaming license.
The spotlight falls on Michael King, a state Department of Safety hearing officer designated as the arbiter of this dispute, who has parsed through the fervent closing arguments presented on Tuesday. With a decision anticipated by month’s end, King scrutinizes the evidence, each detail a strand in the complex tapestry of the casino’s future.
Arguments have been made with passion and precision. State officials level accusations of fraud at Sanborn, saying he diverted a sum of $844K from a federal COVID relief loan for uses far afield from its intended purpose. Sanborn’s defense? A firm rebuttal from his attorney, Zachary Hafer, who draws a line between calculated corruption and mere human imperfection. “There’s a big difference, Mr. King,” Hafer conveyed, emphasizing that Sanborn’s recruitment of a consultant to navigate the loan process negated any insinuation of deliberate misconduct.
Adding fuel to the fire, the testimony from the New Hampshire Lottery Commission’s auditor, Leila McDonough, painted a damning portrait of the casino’s financial practices, her words carried far beyond the courtroom by media channels like the Associated Press and NH Journal. She described records as “sloppy at best” and raised alarming concerns about her inability to physically count cash during an audit, leaving a shadow of doubt over the casino’s transparency.
Details surfaced, woven into an intricate narrative of extravagance; officials allege that Sanborn lavishly spent $181K of the relief money on Porsche race cars and bestowed upon his wife, state Rep. Laurie Sanborn, an $80K Ferrari, further claiming substantial sums went toward covering rent.
Yet, the controversy deepened with suspicions of the casino operating irregularities, as the NH Journal reported the alarming frequency of warning letters and enforcement actions directed at the establishment between 2019 and 2023. Such infractions ranged from unauthorized promotional activities to abrupt prize reductions in tournaments and even dubious dealings with charities.
Absent from the hearings, the Sanborns are bound by a personal plight; they find solace at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where Andy Sanborn confronts an undisclosed illness.
As December 31 looms, marking the expiration of the current gaming license, aspirations for a second casino dangle amidst a tumult of claims and testimonies. Beaconed by King’s impending judgment, all eyes now watch, and the Concord Casino’s destiny hangs suspended in the theatre of justice.
