The total revenue of Macao's gaming sector for the whole year of 2011 amounted to 267.86 billion patacas (33.48 billion U.S. dollars), according to the figures released on Tuesday by the city's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.

Total revenue for December last year amounted to 23.6 billion patacas (2.95 billion U.S. dollars), up 25 percent year-on-year and 2.3 percent month-to-month, according to the Bureau.

Gaming revenue in Macao grew at a surprising pace last year, with revenue for the first three quarters surpassing that of the whole year of 2010.

Being the only place in China where gambling is legal, there were 34 casinos with 5,379 gaming tables and 15,900 slot machines in Macao by the end of September last year, according to official figures.