A standard Saturday night among the slots and table games unexpectedly resulted in an Indiana casino cop bitten, allegedly by a patron.

Colter Burk, 35, of Franklin, Pennsylvania faces battery charges following a visit to Bally’s Evansville Casino. On the night of Sept. 10. officers were dispatched to the casino to deal with a man in an altercation with another patron.

According to sources, an off-duty officer working at the casino asked for his ID. Burk allegedly responded by cursing. He didn’t cooperate, but instead “went on a drunken tirade while on an escalator,” according to Casino.org.

In an affidavit, Burk yelled at the officers that he didn’t want to leave the casino and wouldn’t move. He stayed on the escalator “sloshing his open beer all over.” The officer tried to get him under control.

Burk then allegedly struck the officer in the face with his forearm, according to the police report. Per the affidavit, the blow hurt the officer and almost knocked the glasses off his face.

Officers restrained Burk on the ground, where he “struggled” and allegedly bit an Indiana Gaming Commission officer’s finger, which bled. An EMT who came in a called ambulance attended to the officer.

Burk was arrested and taken to Vanderburgh County Jail, where he was booked. He was eventually released from custody. The official police report said he seemed to be intoxicated.

Charges against him are:

• Disorderly Conduct
• 2 Counts of Battery on a Public Safety Official
• Resisting Law Enforcement
• Criminal Trespass
• Public Intoxication

Former NFL player involved in previous Indiana casino incident

The alleged perpetrator has famous company. In 2019, former NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones accepted a plea deal following an incident at Rising Star Casino in Rising Sun Indiana.

Jones allegedly displayed verbally combative and disruptive behavior. Alcohol may play a part in some casino disruptions. JohnTumeltyLaw.com lists casino behaviors that fall under disorderly conduct in Atlantic City as:

• Aggressive actions or speech
• Improper actions that create risk, annoyance, or inconvenience for the public
• Unreasonably loud or abusive language in a public place

About Bally’s Evansville Casino

Bally’s has gone through some changes over the years. It’s on its third name, having opened as Casino Aztar in 1995 when it was owned by the Aztar Corporation. In 2013, the name changed to Tropicana Evansville.

Four years later, the casino switched from a riverboat to a land-based facility. After a 2021 sale, Bally’s took over the operation. Bally’s has a 45,000 sq. ft. casino, plus:

• Hotel tower
• Boutique hotel
• 1,660 vehicle parking garage
• Retail Stores
• Restaurants
• Lounge
• 3 bars
• Riverfront event center

Bally’s is based in Rhode Island and besides Indiana, it operates casinos in numerous states.

Bally’s has recently stirred up some controversy in Pennsylvania, according to Casino.org. The company is proposing a $123 million casino project in the university town of State College, near Penn State University.

The proposed casino property would be fewer than five miles from the Penn State campus. Opposition is strong, though, as evidenced by a petition against the plan with over 1,000 signatures.