Online gambling technology providers Playtech have shored up their bingo offering via the acquisition of bingo tech outfit ECM Systems.

On Friday, Playtech announced that it had agreed to pay £14.9m to acquire 90% of ECM’s share capital. The remaining 10% will remain with ECM CEO Allen Richardson, who has agreed to stay on in the CEO’s chair for the next three years.

ECM supplies bingo software and hardware to a number of major retail bingo operators, including Gala Leisure, Mecca Bingo and leading independent firms in the UK and Ireland. In its fiscal 2016, ECM generated revenue of £9.1m and adjusted earnings of £4.5m.

ECM has been upgrading its digital offering in recent years and now earns a significant slice of its revenue from providing and licensing software that powers handheld Electronic Bingo Terminals in bingo venues.