Norsk Tipping Issues Apology Over Lottery Mix-Up

A Norwegian lottery company has extended its heartfelt apologies to 47,000 individuals who were mistakenly informed that they had won substantial lottery prizes, attributing the error to a currency conversion mishap.

The state-owned gambling group, Norsk Tipping, revealed that incorrect prize amounts were published following a Eurojackpot draw on Friday. This blunder occurred when the company erroneously multiplied winnings by 100 instead of dividing them by 100, which led to inflated prize notifications.

Among those misled was Ole Fredrik Sveen, who was enjoying a holiday in Greece when he received an unexpected message from Norsk Tipping, announcing a prize of 1.2 million kroner (€101,400). In reality, his winning amounted to just 125 kroner (€10).

Like many others, Sveen received a text message from the company apologizing for the mix-up. Reflecting on the situation, he remarked, “The apology was a poor consolation. They should have sent it out after the mistake, not today.” Such sentiments echo the broader disappointment felt by potentially affected players.

Norsk Tipping has faced considerable backlash due to the error, not only from disheartened players like Mr. Sveen but also from regulatory authorities. The Lottery Authority has initiated a review to ascertain if any gambling regulations were violated. Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery described the mistake as “totally unacceptable.”

In the wake of the scandal, the company’s Chief Executive, Tonje Sagstuen, tendered her resignation, leaving acting CEO Vegar Strand to handle the fallout. Strand acknowledged the severity of the situation, stating, “Our state ownership makes this mistake particularly problematic, as we are entirely dependent on the trust of the population.”

He further emphasized, “We have deeply disappointed our customers and take full responsibility for rectifying the situation. Such errors are serious for a company that is supposed to manage the trust of Norwegians. The work to rebuild trust again has the highest priority going forward.”