Due to a mix-up from Norway’s state-owned gambling company Norsk Tipping, thousands of people in the country were incorrectly led to believe they had won big prizes on the Eurojackpot lottery.
According to “an error in the code that converts eurocents to Norwegian Kroner in the gaming system,” Norsk Tipping wrongly told “several thousand people” they had won “excessively high” Eurojackpot prizes.
Norsk Tipping explained that the incorrect prize amounts had been removed from its app and website, with the correct overview of prizes uploaded the day after the mistake. However, Norsk Tipping noted that no incorrect payouts were made.
Norsk Tipping acknowledged that the criticism it faced for the mistake was “justified.”
“I’ve received many messages from people who had managed to make plans for holidays, buying an apartment, or redecorating before they realised that the amount was wrong. To them I can only say: I’m sorry! But I understand that it’s little consolation,” said Tonje Sagstuen, Norsk Tipping’s CEO.