Lottery confusion in Eurojackpot: Inaccurate notifications lead to excitement among numerous Norwegian participants over supposed large winnings
In June 2025, the Norwegian state lottery operator Norsk Tipping experienced a significant software error that caused thousands of lottery players to mistakenly believe they had won massively inflated prizes in the Eurojackpot lottery. The error, which was later confirmed by various media outlets including The Guardian and Norwegian publication VG, stemmed from a programming error in the currency conversion process from eurocents to Norwegian kroner.
The technical issue was due to a faulty coding logic in the game engine used to convert prize money from euros to Norwegian kroner. Instead of dividing by 100, the system erroneously multiplied the amounts by 10,000, resulting in prize notifications that showed winnings 10,000 times higher than the actual amounts[1][3][5].
Thousands of customers were falsely notified of large jackpot winnings, with reported examples of people thinking they had won millions of kroner. One woman reportedly began planning a renovation based on an expected 1.2 million kroner prize that she did not actually receive[2][3]. The incident caused public outrage and significant reputational damage for Norsk Tipping.
Following an emergency meeting with Norway’s Ministry of Culture, which administers Norsk Tipping, the CEO, Tonje Sagstuen, resigned the day after the incident. She had been CEO since September 2023 and acknowledged full responsibility for the failure[2][3]. Despite the erroneous announcements, no incorrect monetary payouts were made by Norsk Tipping; the inflated prize amounts were only shown briefly online before being corrected[3][5].
Norsk Tipping announced it would conduct a thorough investigation into how the error occurred to understand the weaknesses in their processes and technical infrastructure[1]. The company committed to improving control routines and quality assurance procedures to prevent similar errors from recurring. The resignation of the CEO underscored a move toward increased accountability at the leadership level[2][3].
Public statements from the Ministry of Culture and the Norsk Tipping board emphasized the necessity of strengthening oversight and internal controls. Norsk Tipping has faced ongoing scrutiny and is likely to implement structural and technical enhancements based on lessons learned from this and previous technical shortcomings in the past year[1][2].
Norway's Minister of Culture, Lubna Jaffery, described the incident as "unacceptable." The regulator responsible for overseeing Norsk Tipping is being investigated for potential gambling law violations. A 53-year-old named Ole Fredrick Svinn received a notification of a 1,200,000 Norwegian Krone win, but his actual win was only 125 Krone. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of robust oversight and accountability in the gambling industry to protect consumers and maintain trust.
- The incident at Norsk Tipping, a state-owned gambling operator, showcased the importance of robust oversight and accountability in the gambling industry, as a software error led to false notifications of massively inflated jackpot winnings in the Eurojackpot lottery, affecting casino-culture and gambling-trends.
- The widespread public outrage and reputational damage faced by Norsk Tipping following the false jackpot notifications underscored the need for improvements in internal controls, control routines, and quality assurance procedures within the casino-and-gambling sector, to prevent similar errors and maintain consumer trust.
