UK gambling operator Rank Group is shoring up its digital bingo offering as its land-based venues fall prey to the pandemic’s second wave.

On Tuesday, Rank announced a five-year extension of its online bingo platform deal with UK-listed technology supplier Playtech. The deal covers not only Rank’s prominent Mecca Bingo brand but also two new brands, Kitty Bingo and Lucky Pants.

Rank and Playtech go way back and the parties recently extended their online and land-based casino ties, while Rank has also transitioned its poker operations to Playtech’s iPoker platform.

Rank’s digital operations have helped sustain the company during the pandemic lockdown of its UK retail venues that started in March. Rank’s digital operations accounted for £145.3m of its total Q2 revenue, up 23% year-on-year, while retail revenue slid 22% to £439.8m.