A deliberate listening to on what’s going to occur to the license of the Harmony On line casino was delayed for 10 days by New Hampshire authorities.
The Draft Sports activities Bar and Grill in Harmony, N., pictured above. Inside is the Harmony On line casino. A listening to on the on line casino’s license has been delayed. (Picture: Harmony On line casino)
The New Hampshire Lottery Fee had scheduled the listening to for Tuesday. It’s going to now be held on October 13, in line with the New Hampshire Bulletin.
The license had been granted to Andy Sanborn, a former state senator, but it surely’s being reviewed after an investigation by state Legal professional Common John M. Formella.
The license may very well be revoked, with Formella saying Sanborn is “not appropriate to be related to charitable gaming in New Hampshire.”
Attraction Filed
Sanborn has filed an attraction and needs to maintain his charitable on line casino license.
The state investigation revealed Sanborn allegedly improperly obtained $844K in federal COVID reduction funds. As a on line casino proprietor, he shouldn’t have gotten the cash.
As well as, Sanborn used a few of the cash to pay for 3 race automobiles for private use and to make future hire funds, authorities mentioned.
One of many automobiles, a Ferrari, was given by Sanborn to his spouse, Laurie Sanborn, a state consultant, authorities added. Each stay in Bedford, NH, and each are registered Republicans.
New Hampshire US Legal professional Jane Younger is also investigating the COVID reduction utility and disputed expenditures.
There are additionally some reported considerations about proceeds from the Harmony On line casino directed towards nonprofits.
Lately, New Hampshire Public Radio (NHPR) reported that historically, charitable casinos within the state are chargeable for forwarding 35% of their proceeds to accredited New Hampshire nonprofits. NHPR’s investigation revealed that Harmony On line casino solely contributes 17.5% of its proceeds.
As well as, the Lottery Fee has warned Andy Sanborn about not submitting month-to-month monetary reviews for charities, the Bulletin reported. He was additionally warned that he as soon as listed the fallacious charity when designating on line casino proceeds, in line with the Bulletin.
Sanborn Defends Self
In response to state allegations, Andy Sanborn said, “Like many different companies and organizations, we utilized for federal reduction to handle the operational challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
We took each precaution to make sure compliance with all utility necessities and requirements. Whereas I vehemently disagree with the [Lottery] Fee’s statements, I welcome the forthcoming investigation, as I’m assured that our actions have been totally clear and in full accordance with the legislation.”
Earlier this month, Laurie Sanborn stepped down as chair of a state panel on charitable casinos due to the controversy.
Harmony On line casino operates inside The Draft Sports activities Bar and Grill in Harmony. Sanborn has plans to open a second 43,000-square-foot charitable on line casino elsewhere in Harmony.
The town’s Planning Board accredited the second property in June, however that property is at the moment concerned in a authorized dispute.
