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Downtown Edmonton bars are putting up numbers that are almost as impressive as the Oilers during this spring’s playoff run.

In the six first-round games against the San Jose Sharks, spending on credit and debit cards at city centre nightspots was 24 per cent higher than for the same days last year, according to figures released Wednesday by Moneris, a major Canadian transaction processor.

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Revenues at the 300 to 400 establishments examined were up 28 per cent during home games.

“This is a consistent metric that we see. We have looked at these results for large sporting events, in playoffs and for Olympics,” said Malcolm Fowler, vice-president of financial institutions and partners at Moneris.

“Canadians like to congregate and watch their sports heroes. They don’t want to stay in their homes … We have seen it even outside arenas, watching big screens.”

Those crowds are likely to keep growing — and spending — as the new series against the Anaheim Ducks heats up.