Norsk Tipping Faces $2.5M Fine Due to Supertrekning Failure

Norwegian lottery operator Norsk Tipping is risking a serious fine due to earlier errors related to a Supertrekning lottery draw that took place in April. This comes as the operator faces a separate fine due to a mistake tied to Eurojackpot.

Norsk Tipping in Hot Water

The Norwegian Gambling and Foundation Authority, Lotteritilsynet, announced on September 29 that Norsk Tipping is facing a penalty due to mistakes related to April 19’s Super Draw (Supertrekning). The regulator, which emphasized that it is taking the matter very seriously, said that the operator could be required to pay a penalty of up to NOK 25 million ($2.5 million).

For context, Lotteritilsynet understood that the draw in question saw Norsk Tipping wrongfully select 52 winners of prizes of over a million krone. The authority said that the cause of this problem was a deletion of players who had placed bets via cooperative banks around Christmas and New Year.

As a result, some 16,698 players, comprising 0.2% of all entries, were excluded from the draw that took place around Easter. This inaccurate data led to inaccurate and therefore invalid outcomes.

Affected players were refunded but Lotteritilsynet insisted that the draw still violated Norway’s Gambling Act and that this was a very serious error that undermined public trust in the accuracy of lottery results.

The Incident Undermined the Lottery’s Image  

According to department director Tore Bell, Norsk Tipping had failed to make sure the draw was managed correctly despite being aware of potential flaws.

To make matters even worse, Norsk Tipping had submitted a report in which it claimed that the draw had been conducted properly, which was incorrect and exacerbated the issue.

According to Bell, the latest issues had undermined public trust in Norway’s lottery.

For context, Norsk Tipping has faced a wealth of trouble recently due to a significant error in its Eurojackpot system. The operator is also being investigated for underage gambling.