Thousands of Norwegians who thought they had won the jackpot were disappointed after finding out they hadn’t all won millions of dollars due to a lottery error. According to PEOPLE, thousands of Norsik Tipping customers were told on Friday, June 27, that they had won millions in the Eurojackpot draw. In reality, it was due to a “manual error,” as the lottery customers found out hours later.
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Norwegian Gambling Company Makes Lottery Error By Making Customers Think They Won Millions
In a statement by the gambling company, Norsk Tipping revealed how this egregious error occurred. “Norsk Tipping receives the prize amounts from Germany in Eurocents, and then converts them to Norwegian kroner,” it said. “It is during this conversion that a manual error was made in the code that is entered into our game engine. The amount has been multiplied by 100, instead of being divided by 100.”
This accidental multiplication made customers think they had won millions of dollars instead of little or nothing. Norsk Tipping quickly removed the incorrect prize amounts from its application on Friday evening.
“The process of sending out prizes began at approximately 03:15, and was confirmed completed at approximately 04:30. SMS and push notifications were sent to customers who have consented to receive such messages,” said the statement.
The company assured that they hadn’t paid any customer the wrong premium before apologizing for the incident. “Norsk Tipping sincerely apologizes to everyone who was notified of an incorrect prize amount.”
CEO Steps Down And Releases Apology To Disappointed Customers
According to the BBC, Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned from her position the following day. Sagstuen had been working at Norsk Tipping since 2014 and was CEO since September 2023. She also shared her own statement apologizing for the disappointing mess.
“I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us,” said Sagstuen. The ex-CEO revealed that many customers complained to her about making large purchases before realizing they hadn’t won.
These purchases included one customer buying an apartment and others who made holiday plans. “To them I can only say: Sorry! But I understand that it is a small consolation,” she continued.
“As a manager, it has been my responsibility to handle the errors that have occurred, and it has been very gratifying to see how a united Norsk Tipping has responded to the challenges and worked day and night to solve them. That is why it is also incredibly sad to leave Norsk Tipping and all the talented people who work at Hamar.”
This hasn’t been the only time Norsk Tipping was under fire, as the outlet reported. The company has “experienced a number of technical problems in the past year.” Just in the last few months, “several serious errors have been uncovered.”