Macau casinos outperformed analysts’ expectations in August as gaming revenue rose over one-sixth year-on-year.

Figures released Saturday by Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) show local casino operators generated gaming revenue of MOP26.5b (US$3.3b) in August, a 17.1% improvement over the same month last year. For the year-to-date, total revenue is up 17.5% to MOP202.1 ($25b).

Analysts had offered forecasts for August’s annual growth in the range of 15-17%, but China’s gamblers were either freer with their spending or unluckier at the tables, allowing the result to come in slightly ahead of the top end of that range.

August’s strong performance – the largest year-on-year gain in the past four months and the highest monthly revenue total this year – marks 25 straight months in which gaming revenue has risen on a year-to-year basis.