Ministers wrote to BA chief executive Alex Cruz urging the airline to withdraw what they described as the “ill-judged” ad.
“We were appalled to see such a well-respected company glamorising it [gambling],” they wrote, The Guardian reports.
MP Carolyn Harris also complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, which confirmed it had received a number of complaints.
The ad for British Airways Holidays shows a couple returning to their room after a quick trip to what appears to be a hotel casino.
“We had a bit of spare change so we put it in the slot machines... and won a couple of dollars. So we put it back in and the next thing we knew, we’d won $493. Luckiest dip ever,” they say in the ad.
A British Airways Holidays spokesperson said the ad was cleared by industry body Clearcast, adding it had received just 11 complaints about the ad, while confirming it had been withdrawn.
