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The mayor of Hitchcock, Texas has spoken for the first time since being arrested as part of a sprawling gambling investigation by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office.
“In addition to the gambling establishments, the City of Hitchcock was also included due to its regulatory responsibilities involving permitting, employee records, and inspections related to these businesses‚” the sheriff’s office said.
Mayor Chris Armacost issued a statement via his attorney provided to the local ABC affiliate in Galveston.
"Some of the most important rights granted to Americans by the Constitution are the presumption of innocence, and the right to confront your accusers in court to test the strength of those accusations. I have been charged by the State with offenses as a private citizen and business owner. Neither my work as Mayor for the City of Hitchcock nor my work as an administrator for Hitchcock Independent School District has been implicated in these charges. It is with that in mind that I intend to defend myself as a private citizen, and decline to fight this case in the media. This case will be resolved in court, as is right and proper."
Law enforcement officials also spoke publicly about the operation for the first time on Friday. Sheriff Jimmy Fullen said the investigation into Hitchcock's illegal gambling started five months ago.
"We started getting our complaints in October, and that's when we went and met with the mayor," Fullen said.
750 gaming machines and $420,000 were seized during the exhaustive raids. 33 individuals, including the mayor, were arrested as part of the probe.
Fullen had met with Armacost in October to address numerous complaints from residents and local business owners about alleged illegal gambling operations. Those complaints did not stop and a task force was launched to conduct an investigation.
“These are not just mom-and-pop businesses,” Fullen said. “They are criminal enterprises.”
Video: Galveston County officials: Illegal gambling sites fueled crime in Hitchcock https://t.co/XwfzwzQw1q
— gambling911 (@gambling911) February 20, 2026
"I was thoroughly convinced, and my chief deputy, that the mayor said they were addressing it and they were going to address the problem," Fullen explained. "When I found out we had an actual warrant on him, it surprised me, it really did."
Deputies also served a warrant at the Hitchcock city hall. Deputies said they spoke with staff and seized documents that could lead to additional arrests.
"That would include city officials, any other officials that would be involved and any other persons operating, financing, or operating these game rooms," Galveston County District Attorney Kenneth Cusick explained.
Texas law prohibits gambling but allows certain gaming machines to operate under an exception often referred to as the “fuzzy animal” provision.
Texas Card Rooms Win Major Legal Battle in the State
Action taken against the Hitchcock establishments and individuals is the latest instance of Texas coming after what they perceive to be "illegal" gambling businesses, but things haven't always gone the state's way.
Case in point, the presence of card houses in places like Dallas and Houston.
Card houses and other private poker clubs operate by structuring themselves as private social clubs rather than traditional commercial gambling venues.
It was initially determined by the court that Texas Card House in Dallas had violated the state's penal code prohibition on gambling and keeping a gambling place.
The city of Dallas spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' money fighting in court against Texas Card House, only to lose a three-year battle in the Texas Supreme Court back in October.
Previously, authorities raided the Watauga Social Lounge Poker Club north of Fort Worth during a $100,000 guaranteed tournament back in 2022 and that card room's owner, Joe Vongkaysone, did ultimately reach a plea deal and will avoid jail time.
No Grey Area Here
Armacost will have a tougher time proving his business operated in any legal capacity as the probe is broader in scale and involved the operation of gaming machines.
More specifically, investigators allege that at a laundromat business owned by the mayor, illegal “eight-liner” gaming machines were found that dispensed cash payouts — which is against Texas gambling laws.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
