The Norwegian Lottery Authority has determined that Norsk Tipping violated the Gambling Act by sending inaccurate winnings notifications to approximately 30,000 individuals. These SMS messages erroneously inflated winnings by a factor of 10,000.
Anya Therese Markhus, Senior Advisor at the Norwegian Gambling Authority, stated that Norsk Tipping’s actions constitute a breach of the Gambling Act, undermining public trust in the integrity of lottery games. The significant number of players receiving vastly overstated winnings notifications is deemed detrimental to public confidence.
The error originated from a system malfunction. Instead of correctly dividing winnings by 100 to account for the Euro to Norwegian Krone conversion, the system multiplied them by 100, resulting in the substantial inaccuracies.
In response to widespread public concern, a comprehensive investigation into Norsk Tipping’s operations has been initiated by the Authority. This investigation will encompass a thorough review of the Lotto, Eurojackpot, and Vikinglotto games, examining all operational aspects from player entry submission to prize disbursement.
Given the scale of these national lotteries and their millions of annual participants, the Authority anticipates a lengthy investigation.
Following the scandal, Tonje Sagstuen, CEO of Norsk Tipping, resigned immediately after an eleven-year tenure. The Board of Directors unanimously supported her departure.
This latest incident follows a series of controversies involving Norsk Tipping in recent years. The company previously faced reprimands from the Norwegian Lottery Authority for several issues, including excessive lottery winners over an extended period, an accidental overpayment of KR25 million (approximately $2.48 million) to a single player, and permitting underage participation in online gambling platforms.
