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Conversion Error In Norwegian Lottery Made Thousands Believe In Million Dollar Prizes, Caused Collective Frustration And Toppled CEO
Thousands of citizens in Norway experienced a moment of collective delusion a few months ago when they believed they had become millionaires. The episode gained attention because notifications from the state lottery Norsk Tipping indicated very high prizes for the Eurojackpot winners. The euphoria, however, was short-lived, as it was all a technical error.
Notifications Created Illusion Of Wealth
According to the company itself, thousands of bettors received messages informing them of winnings that were unrealistic.
The newspaper Verdens Gang reported that about 19,000 people received notifications via the app and another 13,000 via SMS. Some even received the same message on both channels.
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The error was in the conversion of cents from euros to Norwegian crowns. The mistake multiplied values by 100, when it should have divided them by the same number.
Therefore, those who had won small amounts received notifications indicating millionaire figures.
CEO Resigns After Prize Failure
The fallout was immediate. The next day, the CEO of Norsk Tipping, Tonje Sagstuen, publicly apologized and resigned from her position.
In a statement, she expressed being “deeply regretful” and acknowledged that the “criticism is justified,” as the failure shook the public’s trust.
She also reported having received messages from people who were already planning trips, renovations, or even buying properties, believing in the millionaire prize. “To those people, all I can say is: I’m sorry! But I know this is little consolation,” she declared.
Dreams Interrupted Brutally
Among the reported cases, one woman told the NRK broadcaster that she was undergoing renovations and believed she had received 1.2 million crowns — about US$ 119,000. Shortly after, she discovered that the real amount was only a fraction of what was promised.
Another example was that of 42-year-old Marianne Myren Midtlyng, who told Verdens Gang that she went through a true “emotional rollercoaster.”
She believed she had won 980,000 crowns after betting in groups. “We danced, cried, and thought we could finally pay our loans. I called my dad and told him. Tears were streaming down,” she reported.
Minutes later, reality hit: the correct prize was only 97 crowns, repeated twice. “I went from millionaire to having less than 200 crowns. It was devastating,” she vented.
Reaction Of The Norwegian Government
Given the gravity of the situation, the board of Norsk Tipping met urgently with the Ministry of Culture.
The meeting took place on Saturday, focusing on discussing the effects of the failure and correction measures.
The Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, commented that “errors like this should not happen,” especially because Norsk Tipping holds the official monopoly on gambling in the country.
According to her, the expectation is that the board acts firmly to reinforce internal control mechanisms.
Corrected Prize Values And Shaken Trust
Despite the confusion, Norsk Tipping ensured that no incorrect payments were made. The correct values were updated on Saturday night, after the error was identified.
However, the episode left scars in the relationship between bettors and the state lottery. Because, for many, the experience of dreaming big for a few minutes and then watching the amount evaporate was something that will be hard to forget.
With information from G1.
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