The story of the most important betting house, with 100% Romanian capital, in the year of the Centennial
➤ If someone told you in 2010,when you graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies, that in no more than one year you would coordinate the activity of a betting house you would have answered?
I think I would have smiled. As a fresh graduate of an economic high education institution, I was ready to take control and manage a business that was directly proportional to my size, but the gaming industry was not on my radar, so to speak.
➤ And in 2011 …
In 2011, I joined the Get’s Bet team as Managing Partner, accepting the challenge of a small player on a developing market. A genuine challenge, if I were to look back at those years.
➤ How did you find the company you had just taken control of?
The company has been on the market since 2005 and had 35 own agencies in its portfolio.
This was the starting point of an analysis that has practically led to reinventing the business. And for the process to be complete, we have transformed the brand, becoming what we now know as Get’s Bet. I considered it at that time, and I am also arguing currently that the urge behind this brand carries a good karma.
➤ Rebranding has been doubled by other business decisions?
Of course. I did not stop at just changing a brand. By the way, there is often confusion between label and brand. The logo, the name, is just part of a brand, so it is inaccurate or, in fact, impossible to translate the brand word through the label. In this spirit, as a result of the change of name and visual signaling, we have changed the way of thinking and doing business.
➤ What were the measures you implemented at the time?
One of the directions that I have followed was the efficiency of human resources in the company and I am talking here about the structure. We flattened the hierarchy as much as possible so that the reaction time within the organization shrunk to an optimum that would increase our agility on the market compared to other players. I was aware that we were working with giants with global experience and that agility can be a winning book in this context.
➤ I don’t think that it was only the agility that has brought you success in such a dynamic market such as gambling.
This was just the starting point. Get’s Bet was a local player and one of the few with 100% Romanian capital.
➤ I interrupt you. Is there another company on this market only with native capital?
Yes. We are not the only ones to start business in this industry with only Romanian capital, but we are proud of this and the fact that we have developed from our own resources.
➤ And you do not want to sell?
Shareholders do not think of an exit yet. We are in full process of developing and we have milestones to reach, but to return to the subject from which you have hijacked me elegantly.
➤ Please do. We were talking about the decisions following the rebranding.
Exactly. They were not subsequent, they happened at the same time. Being aware of the stock of available capital, we decided to continue aggressive franchise development and it seems that it has turned out fine. We are currently present on the market with over 500 partner agencies in addition to our own. At the same time, we have been constantly concerned with exploring the market trends and opening new business lines, meeting the way our customers have changed. The penetration rate of the internet, the number of equipment connected online, technological gains have not left us cold, and on International Women’s Day we launched Get’s Bet Online, a gambling platform that allows us to interact remotely with those whom we exist for, the beneficiaries of our services. It was a team effort, stretched over a calendar year, but which materialized with the release of a popular product.
➤ Get’s Bet Online includes only local know-how?
In this project, we are the beneficiaries of the valuable expertise provided by Sb Tech, one of the largest online sports betting providers in the world, a company that has been convinced by our plan to join us in the operations on the Romanian market. We have created a win-win partnership with a global player, so we can say that we have won a place at the table of the established operators in Romania.
➤ How do you see the further development of the company to carry on this evolution?
We have two action plans which I would not physically separate, because there are intersection points even though we are talking about different operating environments. On one hand, we will continue to expand the network of brick and mortar units, preserving the principle of franchising, which has led us to the present stage of representation, without neglecting the opportunities for opening self-operated units. On the other hand, we will diversify the portfolio of products included in the Get`s Bet Online platform, especially in the Casino area, as well as the lottery and virtual games. Moreover, the partnership with Sb Tech allows us to innovate on the Romanian market in the sports betting section, which our customers will certainly notice in the next period.
➤ For those who read our magazine and want to become your franchise partners (who want to open a Get’s Bet franchise agency), do you have a suggestion about the first step one should make?
Our website www.getsbet.ro offers the contact details needed to initiate the franchising process. My colleagues are ready to help those who want to get into the Get’s Bet family.
➤ Going this way, the gambling industry is very much present on the advertising market, how is Get’s Bet situated in this fight to catch the attention of the public?
Our marketing team has an easy job because the company helps it with innovative and quality services, but I do not want to refer now to all 4Ps of the marketing mix and I will focus on the last of them, Promotion, to answer your question. We turned our attention to the football games organized in the local leagues and we will continue to be present in this context, but we will also start being interested in international matches. Get’s Bet Online has already appeared in the same framework with stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi during the confrontations of world football giants, being present through commercials at the matches of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, up until the moment of this interview.
➤ Have you thought about a partnership with a sports club for a continuous exposure within a community?
I did even more than that. Get’s Bet is already the main sponsor of FC Hermannstadt, so we are not addressing to a simple community because the team in the town on the shore of Cibin brings us the message at national level through the exceptional sports performances.
They are very close to promoting in the main the league and eliminated FCSB in Romania Cup after a game in which they dominated from start to end. We could say that we have chosen a sports partner similar to us as a profile and we hope to grow together. We are already in the First League of Gambling, so we expect them to reach the most important division of Romanian football.
➤ Did the gambling industry recognize these developments?
Get’s Bet has recently received the distinction of “The Most Popular Romanian Betting House” in the Casino Life & Business Magazine Gala as a result of the votes of the readers and I would also like to thank them for their attention and confidence.
➤ We do not need to thank us, because it was easy to give you this award.
However, it is important for us to see the media tracks our movements and appreciate them. This is the fuel that propels us forward on our way.
➤ In conclusion, I would like to ask if you participate in the gambling industry events.
We have never hid in our offices and have been present at fairs both nationally and internationally. We have been running innovative stands at the Entertainment Arena Expo since 2013, the most important local event in the gaming industry, but we have crossed the country borders as a visitor to ICE London, the most important international meeting of the industry we operate in.
➤ So this means that we will see you in RomExpo in the first week of September?
You guessed right. Get’s Bet will have a generous stand at EArena Expo 2018, a place to meet with current and future partners. We are waiting for you, especially as we have some unprecedented events in the entertainment area that will surprise you in a pleasant way. I do not want to reveal details, but we will come up with surprise products both online and offline.
➤ Thank you for your time and I hope you will keep us up to date with the innovations introduced in the market.
And I thank you for the opportunity offered to address our audience. Certainly, Casino Life & Business Magazine readers will find out straight from the source the novelties Get’s Bet has to offer to Romanian gambling market.
