UK children are being exposed to fewer gambling advertisements than they were five years ago, according to a new watchdog report.

On Friday, the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) issued its latest report on ‘Children’s exposure to age-restricted TV ads,’ which covers how much gambling, alcohol and junk food commercials were reaching children during the period spanning 2008 to 2017.

The report shows kids’ exposure to gambling adverts on a steady rise from 2.2 ads per week in 2008 – the year gambling advertising rules were relaxed – to 4.4 ads per week in 2013. That was the last year before the UK revamped its gambling licensing regime, restricting advertising opportunities to operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission.

By 2017, the number of gambling ads viewed by kids had declined to 2.8 per week, which, while still marginally higher than the 2008 figure, nonetheless represents a 37.3% decline from its 2013 peak.