Isle of Capri Casinos said consultation had begun with employees with regard to the possible sale or closure of the site at the Ricoh Arena. It is blaming the "restrictive regulatory landscape in the UK" after only being granted the license in 2005 and opening the casino a year later. The Ricoh Arena said it is confident of finding a new domestic operator.

Regeneration company New East Manchester has promised “hundreds of millions of pounds” will be invested in the area during 2009. Eddie Smith, chief executive of New East Manchester, said this year would see the start of some major projects bringing “very significant levels” of public and private sector investment to east Manchester. This would include the site intended for a regional casino, which will be replaced with something creating “thousands of jobs,” he said.