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Here’s a wild story you don’t hear often: a Texas town mayor was arrested for operating an illegal gambling operation. It’s true, well, the allegations, at least.
This is a made-for-TV type of story and it could only happen in a state like Texas, which is very, very against legal betting. There’s no Texas sports betting, no casinos, no sports betting apps, and no slots.
The latter of which is interesting for this story because illegal slot machines are the main allegation being thrown around here. You’re going to want to keep reading to get the scoop on what happened, and why this might be the start of even more busts in the Lone Star State.
Mayor And School Administrator Arrested
Meet Christopher Armacost. Not only is he the sitting mayor of Hitchcock — a tiny town outside Galveston — but he also Hitchcock ISD’s assistant superintendent. Local police have given him another title, though: possible felon.
He was arrested in February, and the allegations are wild. Prosecutors say he set up shop in the back room of a laundromat he owned, and ran an illegal gambling operation. Yes, really, there were slot machines in vicinity of washing machines, dryers, and folding tables. The storefront was called Comfort Zone Washateria, but it was the slots that were printing the real cash, say police.
It wasn’t necessarily a targeted arrest, however. Authorities executed 21 search warrants in a single sweep that day, hauling in roughly two dozen arrests as part of a broader crackdown. However, only one of those arrests was a city mayor, so that’s why we’re only naming Armacost here. It was a bigger operation than just him, though.
Slot machines are illegal throughout the state, with some minor exceptions (more on that soon). Before executing the search warrant, an undercover officer walked into the laundromat, fed $20 into the slot machines, and cashed out the tickets for money — that was all law enforcement needed to make a move. The next day, the officers went back with a search warrant in hand, and seized five slot machines in disguise.
Aside from the mayor, the attendant on site, Nancy Landert, has also arrested. She had an outstanding warrant, actually. After digging through her phone, investigators say they found messages tying the whole thing back to the mayor himself. If that’s true, that might be the smoking gun to get Armacost convicted.
Armacost Maintains His Innocence
This wouldn’t be a slap on the wrist for Armacost. No, it’s a felony charge of engaging in organized criminal activity that he’s facing. That’s jail time and a huge dent to his reputation in the public sector.
However, Armacost is pleading his innocence. So much so that he intends to defend himself — not use a lawyer — in court. Here’s the statement he gave to local news outlets in the South Texas area:
“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.”
At the same time, the arresting sheriff is speaking out too. He said the issue of illegal machines first arose in October, and they’d been investigating ever since. They’d even spoken to Armacost about curbing the issue before, and the sheriff says the mayor agreed to cap the amount of permits for such machines. He didn’t.
You see, some slots marines are allowed, but with a permit from the city. During 2024, Hitchcock brought in just over $7 million in total revenue. More than $850,000 of that — about 12 percent — came from these permits alone. But during its investigation, officers say only one machine had a proper permit.
To nab Armacost, the officers didn’t just stop with one arrest warrant. They had a second warrant, this one for city hall. Investigators seized documents and spoke with staff, and the district attorney made it clear this may not stop with one arrest. If other city officials are involved, more arrests will be made.
Texas On The Prowl For More Illegal Operations
This was actually the second gambling bust of the new year. Before that, investigators hit an operation in Galveston, before moving toward Hitchcock. Could be more on the way? Probably. The sheriff was asked directly by local media about it. His response was an all-time:
“I’m not even going to answer that question,” Fullen said. “I can’t believe you’d even ask that question.”
Fullen might not get another mayor arrested, but it sounds like this is a story that won’t be going away anytime soon in the area.
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