Millions Mistakenly Awarded in Norwegian Lottery Mix-Up

Norsk Tipping, Norway's state-owned gambling company, created a wave of excitement and disappointment when they mistakenly notified numerous players of erroneous lottery winnings. On Friday, "several thousand" participants in the Eurojackpot received messages indicating they had won enormous amounts, only to learn the news was the result of a technical error. The company announced on Saturday that an error in currency conversion—where prize amounts were incorrectly multiplied—caused this blunder. No actual payouts took place, but the fallout included an apology and the resignation of CEO Tonje Sagstuen.

The incident arose from an incorrect conversion of Eurocents to Norwegian kroner, where amounts meant to be divided were instead inflated. Norsk Tipping, which translates winnings into local currency, received complaints from players who had made plans based on the notifications. For instance, one woman in the midst of a home renovation believed she had won 1.2 million kroner (about $119,000) but received far less.

Following an emergency board meeting with the Ministry of Culture, Sagstuen stepped down, taking responsibility for the error. Despite her tenure only beginning in September, she acknowledged the breach of trust and the disappointment it caused among players. Culture Minister Lubna Jaffery emphasized that such mistakes are unacceptable and called for improvements in control procedures. Norsk Tipping has faced scrutiny for previous missteps and technical issues, leading to a cycle of criticism from both regulators and customers alike.