Thousands in Norway told they won up to millions in lottery error
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Thousands in Norway told they won up to millions in lottery error
Thousands in Norway told they won up to millions in lottery error. An error in the conversion from Eurocents to Norwegian kroner caused the prize amounts to be “excessively high” The amount was multiplied by 100, instead of being divided by 100. The correct amounts were updated on Saturday evening. No incorrect pay-outs were made, the gambling company said. CEO stepped down from her role as CEO after meeting with the Ministry of Culture, which administers the running of the company. She said she was “sad” to leave but confident in the “improvement processes” that have been put in place.
Eurojackpot tickets are sold across a number of European countries (file photo from Poland)
An error in the conversion from Eurocents to Norwegian kroner caused the prize amounts to be “excessively high”, the company said. The amount was multiplied by 100, instead of being divided by 100, local media reported.
“Several thousand” people who won prizes in the Eurojackpot were notified of incorrect amounts on Friday, Norsk Tipping said. The company declined to confirm the exact number of those impacted to the BBC.
Scores of Norwegians thought they had become millionaires after receiving a notification from the state-owned gambling company saying they had won eye-watering sums – until it turned out it was a mistake.
Norsk Tipping receives the prize amounts from Germany in euros, and then converts them to Norwegian kroner.
The correct amounts were updated on Saturday evening. No incorrect pay-outs were made, the gambling company said.
“I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us,” Ms Sagstuen said in a statement, adding that “criticism is justified” given the “breach of trust”.
She said she had received several messages from people who were planning to go on holiday, renovate their homes or buy an apartment.
“To them I can only say: Sorry! But I understand that it is a small consolation,” she said.
One woman, in the middle of a renovation project, told Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) she received a notification that she had won 1.2 million kroner ($119,000: £87,000), but instead received only a fraction of that sum.
The Norsk Tipping board met with the Ministry of Culture, which administers the running of the company, for an emergency meeting on Saturday.
After the meeting, Ms Sagstuen stepped down from her role as CEO. She held the position since September 2023 and had worked at Norsk Tipping since 2014.
“Here, things have failed in several places, this is my responsibility,” she said.
She said she was “sad” to leave but confident in the “improvement processes” that have been put in place.
Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery told NRK that “such mistakes should not happen”, especially as Norsk Tipping has the exclusive right to deliver gaming services in the country.
“We expect the board to work actively to improve the control routines,” she said.
This is not the first time Norsk Tipping has found itself under criticism.
The company said that “several serious errors have been uncovered” in recent months and it had “experienced a number of technical problems in the past year”.
It acknowledged it had been “heavily criticised” by the regulator and its customers, and the criticism “was justified”.
Thousands of Norwegians mistakenly told they won millions in lottery
Thousands of lottery players in Norway were mistakenly told they had won more money than they actually did. The mistake stemmed from an error when winnings in Euros were converted to Norwegian kroner. Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen announced that she was stepping down following the mistake. It’s unclear exactly how many people were impacted, but no customers were paid the wrong prizes, the company said in a news release. The company said it has experienced a number of technical problems in the past year.
Norsk Tipping, the state-owned gambling company, on Friday said people who won the Eurojackpot were told they had won millions in incorrect amounts. It’s unclear exactly how many people were impacted, but no customers were paid the wrong prizes, the company said in a news release.
The mistake stemmed from an error when winnings in Euros — which the company receives from Germany — were converted to Norwegian kroner, and they were multiplied by 100 instead of divided by 100, the company said.
“I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us,” Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen said in a translated statement. “I have received many messages from people who had managed to make plans for holidays, buying an apartment or renovating before they realized that the amount was wrong. To them I can only say: Sorry! But I understand that it is a small consolation.”
Eurojackpot tickets stand on a shelf in a lottery retailer. Thomas Banneyer/picture alliance via Getty Images
On Saturday, Sagstuen announced that she was stepping down following the mistake. She had worked at the company since 2014 and had been CEO since September 2023, the company said.
“As a manager, it has been my responsibility to handle the errors that have occurred, and it has been very gratifying to see how a united Norsk Tipping has responded to the challenges and worked day and night to solve them,” Sagstuen said in a translated statement. “That is why it is also incredibly sad to leave Norsk Tipping and all the talented people who work at Hamar.”
Sagstuen is set to receive six months of severance pay per her employment contract, Norwegian broadcaster TV2 reported. As of last year, her salary was reported to be 3,732,000 kroner, or $370,338, according to TV2, which cited a regional newspaper.
In the announcement posted on its website, Norsk Tipping said it has experienced a number of technical problems in the past year and that it’s investigating how the mistake happened.
Lottery error sees thousands told they wrongly won huge sums
Thousands of people in Norway have wrongly been told that they had won huge sums. The state-owned gambling company, Norsk Tipping, has apologised for the blunder. The CEO of the company, Tonje Sagstuen, has resigned following the incident. The error stemmed from the conversion rate from Eurocents to Norwegian kroner, which caused the prize amounts to be “excessively high” The correct amounts had been updated on Saturday evening, June 28, and no incorrect pay-outs had been made, the company confirmed. The company had been “heavily criticised” by the regulator and its customers, which the company said was justified.
Thousands of people in Norway have wrongly been told that they had won huge sums after receiving a notification from a state-owned gambling company in a lottery error.
BBC reported that some people said they had received prize money the equivalent of thousands of pounds, but ended up only getting a fraction of the sum once the error had been fixed.
According to BBC News, the gambling company – Norsk Tipping, refused to confirm the exact number of those impacted by the blunder, however it is believed that around “several thousand” people, who won prizes in the Eurojackpot, had been notified of incorrect amounts on Friday, June 27.
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The CEO of Norsk Tipping, Tonje Sagstuen, has since apologised and resigned following the incident.
In a statement, the former CEO said that she was “terribly sorry” and that the “criticism is justified”, adding that she had received messages from people who were planning on going on holiday or renovating their homes with the winning money.
Germany sends the money to Norwegian gambling company in euros, before it is then converted to Norwegian kroner. For money-saving tips, sign up to our Money newsletter here .
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According to BBC News, the error stemmed from the conversion rate from Eurocents to Norwegian kroner, which caused the prize amounts to be “excessively high”.
A media outlet in Norway reported that the amount had been multiplied by 100 rather than divided by 100.
However, it was confirmed that the correct amounts had been updated on Saturday evening, June 28, and no incorrect pay-outs had been made, Norsk Tipping confirmed.
One woman told Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) that she had received a notification saying she had won 1.2 million kroner, which is the equivalent of around £87,000, before then receiving only a fraction of the money.
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On Saturday, the gambling company’s board held an emergency meeting with Norway’s ministry of culture, which administers the running of the company.
Norsk Tipping has the exclusive right to deliver gaming services in the country, BBC reports.
Norway’s Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery told NRK that “such mistakes should not happen”.
Following the meeting, Tonje Sagstuen resigned as the CEO – a position she had held since September 2023, having worked at Norsk Tipping since 2014.
This isn’t the first time the gambling company has come under fire, with “several serious errors” uncovered in recent months.
The company had “experienced a number of technical problems in the past year” and had been “heavily criticised” by the regulator and its customers, which the company said was “justified”.
Lottery Glitch In Norway Gives Thousands False Million Dollar Hope
State-owned gambling company Norsk Tipping sent out incorrect Eurojackpot winnings. CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned just a day after the blunder was made. One woman mid-home renovation told NRK she was stunned to see she’d won 1.2 million kroner (about $119,000) The actual amount? A tiny fraction of that.
That long-overdue holiday? Done. Now imagine finding out… it was all a mistake.
That’s exactly what happened to thousands of Norwegians.
State-owned gambling company Norsk Tipping sent out incorrect Eurojackpot winnings.
The culprit? A currency conversion blunder—multiplying by 100 instead of dividing. Ouch.
One woman mid-home renovation told NRK she was stunned to see she’d won 1.2 million kroner (about $119,000).
The actual amount? A tiny fraction of that.
Lottery Glitch Shakes Trust
CEO Tonje Sagstuen, who took the fall and resigned just a day later, didn’t shy away from the fallout.
“I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many,” she said. “Criticism is justified.”
A large number of Norwegians got a message this last Friday, saying they’d won a «big win.
The error triggered an emergency meeting with Norway’s Ministry of Culture.
Minister Lubna Jaffery didn’t mince words: “Such mistakes should not happen.”
Though no incorrect payouts were made, the emotional rollercoaster has left a sour taste.
Norsk Tipping admitted this wasn’t their first stumble—technical issues and customer complaints have piled up in recent months.
Trust, once lost, is hard to win back—especially when people were already picking out tiles for their dream bathrooms.
Lottery Chaos: Thousands in Norway Misled About Winning Millions in Shocking Error!
Gambling company Norsk Tipping mistakenly informed thousands of winners of inflated Eurojackpot amounts. CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned after the incident. The error was due to a conversion mistake from Euro to kroner. Incident raises questions about the reliability of automated systems in high-stakes environments. It underscores the importance of robust systems in the gaming industry, as errors can lead to significant public distrust.
www.bbc.com
Scores of Norwegians were left in shock after a notification from Norsk Tipping, the state-owned gambling company, falsely claimed they had won millions. This incident, which unfolded on June 29, 2025, highlights the potential pitfalls in digital communications.
6 Key Takeaways Norwegians mistakenly notified of lottery winnings
CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned after error
Conversion mistake inflated prize amounts
No incorrect payouts were made
Minister demands improved control measures
Norsk Tipping faced prior criticism and errors
Thousands of players were informed of incorrect Eurojackpot winnings due to a conversion error, leading to outrage and confusion. Norsk Tipping’s CEO, Tonje Sagstuen, resigned the following day, acknowledging the breach of trust.
Fast Answer: A major error by Norsk Tipping misled thousands of Norwegians about lottery winnings, prompting CEO resignation and raising questions about digital reliability in gaming systems.
This incident raises critical questions about the reliability of automated systems in high-stakes environments. How can companies ensure accuracy in digital communications? Are there sufficient checks in place to prevent such errors?
Incorrect prize notifications affected several thousand players.
CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned after the incident.
The error was due to a conversion mistake from Euro to kroner.
Norsk Tipping has faced criticism for previous technical issues.
This incident underscores the importance of robust systems in the gaming industry, as errors can lead to significant public distrust.
Moving forward, it is crucial for Norsk Tipping and similar companies to enhance their verification processes to restore public confidence and prevent future mishaps.