Don’t Bet On Manchester City For The Title

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Manchester City were held to a goalless draw away to Norwich on Saturday as their faltering title charge ended once and for all. Needing a victory from the game to maintain any pressure on the sides above them in the Barclays Premier League table, the Citizens were unable to prize open a stubborn home defence and returned to Manchester with just one point.

Based on Saturday’s performance at Carrow Road, few would fancy City’s chances in the title race. You would have to be a brave punter to place a bet on their success this season, but if you did want to do just that, you would be joining an ever-expanding list of people who are involved in online gaming.

In the late 1990s, online gambling gained popularity. Internet gambling websites had increased from just 15 websites in 1996, to 200 websites in 1997. Online casinos have certainly changed from humble origins to their current level of sophistication, where social gambling, mobile accessibility and multi-million pound jackpots have become the industry standard.

Among the online games possible to play are live roulette and blackjack games. What started in 1994 when the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda passed the Free Trade & Processing Act, allowing licences to be granted to organisations applying to open online casinos, has now become a global entity that generates $35 billion to the industry.

Despite such staggering numbers, City’s form over the past few months does not fill a punter with confidence. The Blues have not recorded successive Premier League victories in five months and Manuel Pellegrini shows no signs of being able to turn his club’s fortunes around. Several of his stars are not performing at their best, and with goalscoring responsibility falling squarely on the shoulders of Sergio Aguero, if the Argentine has a poor day at the office, then it is hard to see how Pellegrini’s troops will get all three points from a game.

Wilfried Bony again failed to convince the travelling supporters of his worth, whilst question marks remain about Raheem Sterling. The former Liverpool man was introduced from the substitutes bench in the second half, but had minimal impact and was unable to create an opening for himself or his teammates.

Pellegrini must now prepare his squad for a big week ahead, with fixtures against Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League and then a Manchester derby against Louis Van Gaal and his team at the weekend. He will hope to avoid another display like the one against Norwich if he is to dispell rumours that he may even be sacked from his job before the end of the season.