originally published August 2001

By Sting

(This is the full text version of an article that appeared in an issue of Southern Gaming Magazine)

Growing up in a small rustic town two hours and a half outside of Birmingham, Alabama, life was not always easy for Infinity Sports International CEO, Charles C. Bauer.

"Life was hard, we had to make due, recalled Bauer", reminiscing in his office on a dreary Sunday in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Life was not always viewed from the eighth floor of a state-of-the-art complex in the affluent San Jose suburb of San Pedro. A sweeping 360 degree view of the mountain ranges and neighborhoods surrounding the over big chunk of office space he proudly calls his own, Mr. Bauer realizes that buried within this region remains the poverty and struggle of every day life he knows all too well. Despite his obvious success, this gentle buff man still appears humbled to this day.

Infinity Sports International is a full service sportsbook featuring top bonuses; unique lines; and top flight customer service. The company is legally licensed to accept wagers in what is commonly referred to as The Switzerland of Central America , Costa Rica.

His vision for Infinity?

"I want to continue to grow and get better and with this growth I want to provide my players with the same fine service they are used to getting. This will happen as long as I am a part of this company. That is my promise to all the Infinity customers."

Growing up in the South helped humble Charles Bauer more so than many of the desperados who find themselves rendezvousing with the readily available drugs; booze and whores of the Western Hemisphere s second oldest democracy. In San Jose, there are drugs sold over the counter that people in the States get arrested for having possession of, such as a condensed form of Ecstasy.

"It s all about running a business and being available to my players 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. If I happen to not be here, my players know they can leave a message and I will get back to them before my head hits the pillow that night."

It s no wonder, sitting within the confines of the Infinity Sports offices, a few dozen customer service representatives sit around chatting away with clients (and potential clients) as if they were their own best friends. At first glance, one might believe this to be your every day telemarketing call center. Give it a few minutes and you quickly grow to realize the employees of Infinity really do love their jobs and work environment.

At the nucleus of this office, tightly snug at a corner desk (as opposed to the opulent offices we sometimes come across for executives in this industry), Mr. Bauer oversees every aspect of the operation, requesting that one of his female reps send a phone call over to his desk. The gentleman on the other line happens to be a fellow Southerner and the two hit it off.

"When folks call Infinity Sports, they know right off the bat they are not going to be treated like just a number", Mr. Bauer explains, "I know it s an old clich頢ut (it) doesn t matter whether the client is a $25 bettor or a $25,000 bettor, they are still going to be getting the same fine Infinity Sports treatment."

As a young boy, Charles would wake up to the smell of coal mines a few miles distant, carried by an easterly flow. Breezes from the southeast and south were more tranquil, he recalled, the fresh aroma of country air while Larks aloft and Yellowhammers playing spry in hedges outside his window.

Charles father quickly established himself in the medical supply sales field and his Mom, a teacher, took care of her only begotten son. His mother called him her Little Cherub because of those chubby cheeks that always turned red when she pinched them. Life for the young Bauer boy became more forgiving as time moved on. The family eventually picked up and moved away from the coal mines. To this day Charles remembers the billowing plumes of smoke streaming up above the factories as he and his family left his childhood birthplace.

By the age of eleven, Charles was already a degenerate gambler, or so it seemed.

In Grade School, a used cars salesman would book $2 and $3 dollar parlay bets from me and my friends, Charles reflected upon, It was crazy! We would all end up losing around $150 a week. My one buddy had a $5 maximum put on him because he lost $48 and had to pay the used car salesman in four installments of $12.

Not surprisingly, Infinity Sports International would grow to feature the best parlay odds in the offshore sports wagering industry. 7 to 1 odds on 3 team parlays; 13 to 1 on 4 team parlays; and they just keep on getting better the higher you go.

Growing up in the deep South, Charles learned at an early age what some bookmakers offshore are only now learning in their 40 s and 50 s and initiation into the real hardcore world where not everything is what it seems. Because of this early tutorial if you may, he has a keen understanding of what it means to be part of a WHOLE picture as opposed to a small piece of the pie.

"I realize success will come only as part of a team effort. Those who work alongside of me on a daily basis at Infinity; the thousands of clients that add the life blood to this business; I would be nowhere without them. I remain eternally grateful."

Charles Bauer s initiation into the real world of hard knocks came long after his fleeting acquaintance with a used car dealer booking parlay bets to 5^{th graders. When Charles became a sophomore in High School, he and his friends were always looking for ways to make a little money on the side; somewhere along the lines of legal and illegal without quite crossing over that line .Just a few dollars in hand to buy beer.}

One day a group of Seniors from his High School approached the young Bauer boy and his buddies with an offer they simply could not refuse.

The ring leader of the older group of boys approached the somewhat timid and shy Charles.

^{"Hey Boy, we know where you can make money in an hour if you are interested, he informed him."}

^{"So they tell us, Look guys, we know this man who owns a moonshine still and we know a guy who will buy bottles of moonshine at $25 a jug. He went on to explain that each of us could fit three jugs in one hand since they had one of them loops on top. The guy s name who would buy the jugs was CREEK. They called him that because when he would steal stuff, Creek would run so fast he d be like the river."}

^{"Me and my five friends got up into this pickup truck on a Monday night - the people who make the moonshine normally don t show up on Monday nights - so we loaded up and drove some 30 minutes into the backwoods of Alabama. It was like out of the film Deliverance with Burt Reynolds; old swampy looking roads with trees dangling down and to top things off there was this full moon that made it so that we could drive without even having the headlights on."}

^{"The way the seniors planned this was to have us drive in three different trucks, none of which were our own. They made us ride with them and we never once figured anything was up. Eventually we got to this hill and parked below it. We then started walking with our jugs up the hill and when we got to the top, in the middle of this huge pasture, was this spooky looking little house, kinda like a barn with a one-sided slanted roof. It looked to be about 75 years old or more."}

^{"So we get up to this spooky ol house and the moon is shining upon us, making it look almost like day time, only with a dark sky all around. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we see these two big figures standing up on the roof of this house. They had overalls on and straw rimmed hats; about 256 pounds each - 6 6 in height. I ll never forget how scared I was. They were senior football players, though my buddies and I believed they were the moonshiners."}

^{"Then, all of a sudden, the one guy fires a gun and the next thing I know, this senior who led us to the house, falls to the ground. I thought for sure he had been hit and probably dying. You gonna steal my moonshine Boy? , yells the guy with the gun. We tried to get the senior up but he kept screaming and these two guys kept firing their guns off."}

^{"So here I am running through the pasture trying to escape. I was wearing flip flops and ran right out of them. Once my buddies and I got to the seniors trucks, we found out the doors had been locked, so we end up running down the road and into the woods through all these thorns and sticks. I ve never bled so much in my life and the whole time these two guys are driving up and down the road in their truck yelling We are going to git you boys! ."}

^{"Eventually the seniors let us in know they were playing a practical joke - the initiation into manhood if you will. Next thing we know, they come on over with these big kegs of beers along with bottles of Jack Daniels, and let me tell you, we all had the time of our lives that night ..but there remained one little problem."}

^{"We soon noticed that there were only five of us sophomores, a sixth guy seemed to disappear. Turns out he was so damn scared, this kid runs barefooted 14 miles, then hitches a ride home where he puts a note on the windshield of the car owned by the sister of this boy who had feigned being shot. Your brother is dead - Call the police now it read. Needless-to-say, this caused quite a stir in this small town and I will never forget about it for the rest of my life."}

^{The experience no doubt made Charles into a changed man, and one who stayed out of trouble throughout the remainder of his High School years.}

^{Charles never booked bets while in High School, but he did so in college. Still, the young Bauer boy loved to gamble at an early age. By 15, his Mom and Dad found out about their son s activities.}

^{"Actually it was my Grandmother", explained Charles, "She (Grandma) found my sheet I used to gamble with and she thought it had to do with my Dad s business. She then brings it to my Mom who then brings it to Dad. She asked if it was his, to which he replied No and then they say Let s get him in here to have a little talk . I didn t get a beating but they did ground me and take my Jeep away for about 3 weeks. I still kept gambling after this but was a little more careful about where I kept my sheets."}

^{Charles Bauer soon entered into college, majoring in Internal Marketing and Consumer Affairs. During this time he had already dabbled in a business all his own, a vending company he ran his last two years in college and one year after graduation.}

^{"I could have kept on making a living at this, but it wasn t what I loved, so I eventually sold the business. I figured out I loved to gamble but not quite sure I could make a living at it, though in my early 20 s I gotta admit it was like having a leprechaun on my shoulders all the time with this incredible stroke of good luck until about the age of 23. I swear to you - I could not lose, then it all came crashing down and I finally came to the realization that gambling for a living simply was not for me."}

^{Infinity Sports International was a small venture started in the Dominican Republic back in 1994. Charles Bauer bought the company from a gentleman who had fallen ill and realized there was more to life than just this business. Charles on the other hand believed Infinity to be his whole life and soon relocated the company back in 1996 to Costa Rica where he ran it as a low profile call center with just a hand full of employees and one or two computers.}

^{"Half the time our phones would not work", Charles told us.}

^{His first few years in Costa Rica were rough. They reminded him of his gambling days in Mississippi, albeit Costa Rica had far less poverty than the fourth world living of Mississippi.}

^{"Well, some parts of Mississippi are fourth world anyway", explained Mr. Bauer, "There are a lot of good people living there, but then there are some that are so crooked when they die you will have to screw them in the ground."}

^{As a young man in his early 20 s, Charles would gamble at a casino called the Silver Star in Philadelphia, Mississippi. He would shoot craps and count cards at the Black Jack table. This was a very big casino on the Indian Reservation.}

^{"I used to also go down to Biloxi (Mississippi) and Tunica - there were about 10 to 15 casinos in that town. This is where I really hit it big one night."}

^{Charles reflected on his biggest win ever.}

^{"It happened one night when me and a buddy of mine walk into the casino to play some craps. I come in with $300.00 and was up $800.00 before blowing it all. My buddy ends up making a dime and he s a pretty smart gambler so decides it s time for us to leave. Here I am following behind him like some sad little puppy with my head down. He s the type of fella though who always gets to the revolving exit doors and decides at the spur of the moment he s gonna go back and bet his favorite number on the roulette table."}

^{"So I follow and reach down into my pocket to find I had this $5 dollar chip; a $2 dollar chip and a 50 cent piece. That was $7.50 in my pocket that I figure I might as well lose that money too. So I hobble on over to the $5 minimum Black Jack table. Can t remember how many hands but they kept on stacking up. Next thing I know I have $600.00. So I take the $300.00 I started off with when I arrived at the casino and put that back in my pocket. I take the other $300.00 and move on over to the $25 minimum table. I soon bring this up to $3000.00. Then I go on over to the $100.00 minimum table and by the time all was said and done I walked out of that casino with around $17,650 to my name. My buddy meanwhile ends up not hitting the number, loses a hundred dollars and gets drunk the rest of the night. Of course I bought all the drinks."}

^{Charles elaborated more on his mission to take Infinity to that next level, just as he did that fateful night in the casino when he took a dream and a few dollars, turning them into a pot of gold.}

^{His biggest gamble came in the form of a strategic and highly risky business move that would forever change his life.}

^{"By the year 1998 I started to witness some great things happening offshore with mainstream businesses entering into the field. The industry started to become more widely accepted by the general public and I decided to spread my wings a little bit. My original business had grown somewhat stagnant and I needed to push forth into the online market. In order to do so, I soon realized the need for stronger investors to help carry me along this route."}

^{"Soon thereafter a group of extremely solid businessmen approached me and made an offer I just couldn t refuse. They gave me that boost to help build Infinity into a strong Internet presence."}

^{These influential businessmen demanded the very best from Charles and he knew some of the slackers he had come in contact with during his tenure in this industry could not survive dealing with these men. Instead of 100%, they demanded 200% and Charles was well prepared to give it to them.}

^{In doing so he recruited another family member, his beloved sister, Sue, to help drive in customers.}

^{"Things got a little tedious those first few weeks online", Sue recalled, "We weren t out there quite yet with our marketing campaign but at the same time we were well aware the brochures had been sent out to a few hundred people. Infinity needed a touch of Southern Hospitality to bring in new customers and ultimately keep them."}

^{Charles and his sister were set to start signing on customers without actually speaking with them - through the online process, although this clan still preferred the old fashion method. With the growth in technology, Infinity had no other choice but to hit the World Wide Web if the book wished to prosper, so by June of 2000, the company made its debut onto the Net utilizing the industry s leading software suite, IQ-Ludorum.}

^{"Even though we were new to the online market, Infinity, once a fledgling but still successful call center book, suddenly found itself with some of the best money backing in the industry and a software company that had just gone public."}

^{With the newly found online presence, Infinity Sports International also had to discard its low profile status. Charles Bauer was more than happy to do just that. He was now playing with the big boys, much as he did that night he and five buddies drove into the backwoods to pick up some moonshine.}

^{Charles was not one to have a bunch of guys pull him by the hand. Infinity was HIS and he realized with all the competition, developing an online presence would not occur overnight.}

^{"It was a scary feeling just getting started on the Net", said Mr. Bauer, "Truth is, it was like starting a business all over. I had a group of guys still playing into me by phone but the Internet had so much untapped potential. Not only that, but with the new backing came some incredible marketing opportunities as well. At first Infinity spent wisely. We were the first to appear on what is now one of the most popular gambling information sites on the Net today, Gambling911.com. There were a few other sites we tapped into but our main breath of fresh air came through mailings of brochures and eventually word-of-mouth spread through the sports betting community."}

^{By the beginning of 2001, Infinity Sports International had already turned a significant profit in addition to amassing a few thousand new clients. Approaching the 2001 football season, Infinity was now positioned to become one of the foremost sportsbooks in the entire industry, having set aside a rather large portion of money for an aggressive advertising campaign.}

^{"You see, all the money we made our first year on the Net went back into the company. I m not one to go out partying every night. It s all about working hard and practicing the strong work ethic past down to me by my parents and others I have come in contact with throughout the years."}

^{Mr. Bauer is a practicing Christian who turns his back on the pill popping; cocaine snorting and whore mongering that some of his colleagues engage in to drive their businesses into an early grave.}

^{In some ways, Charles Bauer has had to sacrifice quite a bit to arrive at this stage in his life.}

^{What does he miss most of all not being back in Sweet Home Alabama?}

^{"My Grandmother s home cooking, he responds, Actually it s a combination of my Grandmother and my Mom."}

^{Not surprisingly we learned of a package that would be arriving the week we conducted this interview. Some of his mother s homemade cookies were on their way to Costa Rica. They have become so popular that even other sportsbook operators located nearby routinely inquire with Charles as to when his Mom will be sending more cookies.}

^{"There is nothing that reminds me more about my home state of Alabama than Mom and Grandma s home cooking. I go to bed every night thinking about creamed corn; fried okra; home made macaroni; possum fritters; fried green tomatoes; gator stew; pecan pie and best of all - every Sunday morning after church, we d end up at my Grandmother s house and she and Mom would whip up this incredible brunch. Homemade biscuits from scratch; pancakes; French Toast; cheese grits; fresh squeezed orange juice; and she would always have fresh strawberries with whipped cream. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it. Unfortunately the breakfasts in Costa Rica consists of rice, beans and a soggy ol tortilla shell.}

^{Still, living in Costa Rica has its advantages.}

^{"Aside from the industry, I just love the women down here. I have always had a thing for Latin girls", explained Charles, "Back in grade school I had a crush on this one Latin girl, probably the only one in my school now that I think about it. She paid me no mind at first then one day I built up enough guts to ask her out on a date to see a movie, I think it was that Clint Eastwood movie with that funny baboon. Her family had packed up and left one week later .. I still have a crush on that girl to this day."}

^{Charles family would love to see him settle down and get married, but right now he has so little time outside of work.}

^{"I would love nothing more than to see my son settle down with a lovely Tica woman", expressed Charles Mom in a candid interview, "She probably won t be as good a cook as me, but that s okay."}

^{The chance of this happening any time soon is not very probably, however.}

^{"This will be our biggest football season ever. For the next few months, it s doubtful I ll have much of a social life", expressed Charles early in the season.}

^{It s no wonder, Infinity Sports is advertising just about everywhere these days. Aside from Gambling911.com, the sportsbook is now gracing the pages of such widely distributed publications as Inside Player s Football; Pro Football Weekly; Football Preview; The Platinum Sheet and many more. Additionally, Infinity has built a strong radio presence in the Southeast United States.}

^{"Like I ve always said, I won t forget my Southern roots. I spend more on advertising in the deep South than any other single sportsbook operating offshore today bar none", explained Mr. Bauer, "This region I hate to say is widely ignored by most sports betting businesses. We Southerners LOVE to gamble. It only makes sense that Infinity would develop such a presence in states such as Alabama; Louisiana; Tennessee; Kentucky; Mississippi; Georgia; The Carolinas and Virginia."}

^{That s not to say that Infinity has ignored the rest of the country. HARDLY! The sportsbook s presence can be found on virtually every news stand in all 50 states and around the world. They also maintain a nationwide radio presence.}

^{Infinity Sports International can now be found on two of the top sportsbook watchdog sites on the Net as well: ThePrescription.com and OSGA.com.}

^{"I am proud to say we are listed in the top six of the Preferred List at the Prescription, Charles stated, We also rank among the top books appearing on the Off Shore Gaming Association website as well as Ultimatecapper.com, not to mention a very prominent presence at Gambling911.com."}

^{So what does Infinity Sports International have to offer that other sportsbooks do not?}

^{"As I ve elaborated on before, everyone here really cares about what goes on in the office. The person who signs you up as a customer is the person who will take care of you. It s all very genuine. You re not just a number here at Infinity - we think of each one of our clients as a part of the family. If you win $25,000 we send it right away. The worst possible feeling in the world is someone worrying about whether or not they are going to be getting paid."}

^{"Our track record speaks for itself. At least a third of our business comes entirely from referrals. I have clients calling asking questions just to speak with me, nothing to do with gambling either .sometimes I feel like a bartender without serving the drinks. I always find time to speak with my clients."}

^{Some of the great incentives offered by Infinity Sports International include a 10% referral bonus for existing clientele.}

^{If a friend comes in with $10,000, you as the existing Infinity customer will receive $1000 into your account. There are no limits on the amount of money for which you can receive.}

^{Additionally, Infinity offers a 15% sign up bonus with $500.00 or more sent AND a free three team parlay for $25. Again, there are no limits on the amount of bonus money that can be received. 10% is given on all re-deposits. As explained earlier, Infinity s parlay odds are among the best in the industry with 7 to 1 odds on 3 team parlays and 13 to 1 odds on 4 team parlays as an example.}

^{And what s the difference between playing at Infinity Sports as opposed to playing with the local bookie?}

^{Well, first off it is LEGAL to play at Infinity Sports International since the company is located in Costa Rica and incorporated in that country. But there are many more great benefits as well.}

^{All phone calls are recorded for our customers protection, explained Mr. Bauer, We are open 24 hours a day so clients can call at 3 in the morning and speak to a live operator, and even place a wager since lines up put up overnight. Because Infinity accepts wagers from all over the world, it is imperative that we stay open 24 hours a day. You can play on the Internet or over the phone with the same account and password. There is excellent technical support. No reason for clients to worry about using a credit card over the Net since all information is encrypted and coded for our customer s protection. The local guy also does not give a 15% signup bonus. We can wire money into your account; have a control number ready for you same day for Western Union payouts. Infinity uses courier services and can have money sent that way in two business days. A far cry from walking into a bar and meeting your local bookmaker with his brown paper bag full of money.}

^{So what s left for Charles Bauer and Infinity Sports once he s acquired all this newfound business?}

^{"It s not over til the fat lady sings", Charles laughed, "This is my first love and I m in it for the long run. You may not believe this but I actually get a high off what I do."}

^{The Infinity Website can be found at http://www.betoninternet.com  and the phone number is toll free at: 1-877-919-GAME (4263).}