Norsk Tipping Faces $1M Fine After Eurojackpot Error

The Norwegian Lottery Authority has issued a notice of violation to Norsk Tipping, saying that the Norwegian state-owned national lottery operator could face a potential fine of up to NOK 10 million (approximately $940,000) due to a significant error in its Eurojackpot system earlier this summer. The proposed fine amounts to approximately 0.1% of the lottery operator’s turnover, and a comprehensive review of Norsk Tipping’s lottery operations is currently underway following multiple system failures.

Norwegian Lottery Authority Continues Norsk Tipping Case

Norsk Tipping’s problems started on June 27, when approximately 47,000 players were mistakenly informed that they had won significantly inflated prizes due to a calculation error. Of these, around 30,000 received the incorrect notifications directly via SMS or push alerts.

The Norwegian Lottery Authority labelled the incident a “serious breach of trust,” emphasizing that gambling operators have a legal duty to conduct games fairly and transparently. The source of the error was traced to a flawed formula used to convert Euro cents into Norwegian kroner, which incorrectly multiplied the amounts by 100 instead of dividing. Although the draw itself was conducted correctly and the mistake was promptly corrected, regulators criticized Norsk Tipping for not detecting the issue during testing or through its internal control systems.

In a statement, Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen expressed deep regret over the incident, acknowledging the public’s frustration. She stated that she fully understood why people were angry and admitted that the criticism directed at Norsk Tipping was warranted, describing the situation as a clear breach of trust. She also shared that she had received numerous messages from individuals who had made plans based on the incorrect prize notifications, including holidays, home renovations, and apartment purchases. Soon after the initial error surfaced, Sagstuen resigned from her post as CEO of the national lottery operator.

Problems Are Mounting

This recent incident adds to a growing list of compliance issues for the state-owned operator. One of the issues with the operator is that a glitch allowed players in groups to enjoy significantly higher odds of winning compared to individuals playing alone, which has led to multiple complaints.

Furthermore, other past cases include an erroneous casino payout of NOK 25 million (approximately $2.35 million), prolonged technical glitches that prevented iPhone and iPad users from logging out of games, and long-standing lottery draw errors that skewed winning odds for cooperative players over several years.

In response to these recurring failures, the Lottery Authority has launched a comprehensive inspection of Norsk Tipping’s major games, including Lotto, Eurojackpot, and Vikinglotto.