The Cotnari born fighter talked to us during the 2018 edition of the Entertainment Arena Expo. He told us about his new cherished project, Dynamite Fighting Show, that he managed to get started alongside GoBet, a part of the Superbet group.
It is said, and rightly so, that sports betting and gambling would not exist in their current form without the real players, the professionals, who send the correct message to the larger audience.
During a relaxed conversation with Catalin Morosanu, seen by many as a “sacred monster of contact sports,” we found out what it means to turn a love of sports into a business. During the Entertainment Arena Expo, event held at the Bucharest Romexpo, from September 3 to September 5, 2018, in a décor worthy of the grand Las Vegas venues, Catalin Morosanu was extremely forthcoming and revealed a few things that led, at least in part, to the success of his latest project, born from the ashes of K-1 and Superkombat.
“It’s really hard building something new in Romania. Especially from scratch. Perhaps my words will sound affectedly grand but sports betting in particular and the betting industry in general actually saved Romanian sports. A lot of projects would have failed without this source of financing. Take a look at any sporting event in Romania; you’ll never fail to see the photo of a betting house: on a t-shirt, on a banner, in the corner of a ring or on the edge of a football field. Imagine how things would be without financing from the betting industry,” Morosanu told journalists.
Dynamite Fighting Show is, in part, fueled by GoBet, part of the Superbet group, the largest sports betting house in Romania with almost 1000 branches. “We partnered with them for our galas and I’m their public image. It’s a win-win association. Their money made a real difference for us.” added Catalin The Carpathian Death Morosanu, during the Entertainment Arena Expo 2018 talks.
A WINNING BET.
In an unprecedented admission, the kick-boxer who bested, in his 13 years of fighting, giants like Mighty Mo, Gary Goodridge, Freddy Kemayo, Sergei Gur, Anderson Braddock Silva, Paul Slowinski or Stefan Leko revealed just how much money a bet on him would have been worth, should the bookmakers have offered the option. “Most of my past victories and my greatest ones were recorded against guys that were, at least on paper, first choice opponents. Imagine the huge odds my 26 KO’s came with! A brave man would have gotten rich betting on me. We’ll offer that chance in the near future. The 10 or 11 gala fights to be disputed on October 19th in Piatra Neamt will most likely be found in the Go Bet offer. We’re working on it. It will give it an extra boost of show and adrenaline” Morosanu stated at the GoBet stand at the Entertainment Arena Expo 2018 (EAE).
The trade-show became, over the course of its 12 editions, the undisputed leader of entertainment events, both size-wise and with respect to the number of exhibitors. EAE occupied over 10 000 square meters of the Bucharest Romexpo Hall B2 and hosted all the key companies in the betting industry. 62% of the exhibitors hailed from abroad.
Coming back to the record and career of Morosanu; he entered Romanian sports as a profes sional heavyweight pugilist and kick-boxer. He is also a former rugby player. Born on June 30, 1984, in Cotnari, Iasi county, Morosanu fought 56 times in the ring during his sports career, starting with 2005. His record speaks for itself: 45 fights won, of which 26 by knockout and only 11 losses.
He has also other qualities, less known to some. He is an alderman for the Iasi county and also quite the socialite. He was on TV for one of the “Dancing for you” seasons and he won the very first edition of the “I’m a celebrity, get me out!” show. The “Carpathian Death” is also well schooled. His portfolio counts, aside from his medals and titles, two university diplomas, one from graduating from the Law Faculty of the ”Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University in Iasi and the other from the History Faculty with the ”Petre Andrei” University, also in Iasi.
GOBET, BET ON EXPANSION.
GoBet has been since 2016 the partnership division of the Superbet group, the largest sporting bets operator in Romania. The Superbet group was founded in 2008 by the Dragic family. Their plan for GoBet is to open 500-600 partner branches every year. “By the end of this year we want to have 250 GoBet locations open and by the end of 2021 we want to have at least 1500 franchises throughout the country” stated Vlad Ardeleanu, the Superbet Romania General Manager, in a story published by Casino Magazine. It only takes 4000 Euro (which includes a 5000 Lei security paid to GoBet) for an entrepreneur to open up a small business and become part of the betting industry. All subsequent monthly costs are the responsibility of the franchisee.
Industry related market research say that sports betting is currently the most dynamic and with the greatest growth potential. Football and tennis are where the most bets happen in Romania. With regards to GoBet, “the brand’s most important asset is the fact that it is backed by the Superbet experience and as such, can insure for its segment, the best betting products and services and the most complete offer at the best odds” declared Ardeleanu for Casino Magazine.
The betting market is less developed in Romania, as compared to Spain, Italy or Great Britain. Official estimates at mid 2017 placed the local gambling industry somewhere between 1 and 1.5 billion Euro. Sporting bets accounted for 150-200 million euro of the total amount. At this moment, there are no official numbers for the online sports betting market. The above figures are quoted from Rombet, the Association of the gambling industry in Romania.
