The Concord Casino is experiencing growing pains and the owners of the charitable gaming facility in Concord, New Hampshire, are looking to expand.
Former New Hampshire state Senator Andy Sanborn, who owns the Concord Casino and the Draft Sports Bar & Grill, is looking to develop a multi-phase project that will include a bigger charitable gaming facility, restaurant, events center and hotel. His wife, Laurie, is a state representative and also a managing partner of the casino.
There are 15 charitable gaming businesses across the Granite State and several have announced plans to expand.
In the Sanborns’ case, the expansion has been made possible with the addition of historical horse racing (HHR). The Sanborns opened Concord Casino in 2019 with the thought that HHR wagering would pass the legislature.
“We opened up a very small facility acknowledging that we were going to build something bigger to accommodate the market need,”‘ Andy Sanborn told a local newspaper. “We kind of waited for HHR to pass.”
They are only one of two establishments that are licensed to take wagers. HHR machines operate much like slot machines, but instead of random outcomes, the winners are based on previously run horse races that can be bet by gamblers.
HHR has brought in $450,000 to the state with only two locations licensed so far, according to Rick Newman, a New Hampshire lobbyist told the New Hampshire Union Leader.
“As it begins to ramp up, the state revenue will increase,” Newman told the newspaper. He estimated that the entire industry is set to bring in $18 million to $22 million for charity from bingo, Lucky 7 and other games of chance.
The Sanborns are definitely banking on increased business. Andy Sanborn said the proposed facility would be built on a parcel that is visible from the highway. The first phase includes building a 24,000-square-foot gaming hall and a 4,800-square-foot restaurant.
Sanborn said adding HHR will help the business double its charitable contributions.
“For us, it is all about trying to take pressure off of the state budget and off of local budgets,” he said. “Providing an entertainment venue where people can come have some fun and in doing so help those in most need in our communities.”
