The Norwegians who believed to be rich for one day due to a lottery error

- Author, Danai with the movements
- Author's title, BBC News
4 hours

Dozens of Norwegians believed to have become millionaires after receiving a notification of the state -owned gambling company, informing them that they had won exorbitant sums, until it was discovered that it was an error.

“Several thousand” of people who won prizes in the Eurojackpot received the notification of incorrect amounts on Friday, according to Norsk Tipping.

The company refused to confirm the exact number of affected to the BBC.

The executive director of the organization, Tonje Sagstuen, apologized and resigned the day after what happened.

An error in the conversion of euro cents to Norwegian crowns caused the amounts of the awards to be “excessively high,” the company said. The amount multiplied by 100, instead of dividing by 100, local media said.

NORSK TIPPING receives the amounts from Germany's awards in euros and then converts them to Norwegian crowns.

The correct amounts were updated on Saturday night. No incorrect payments were made, random games company reported.

The apologies

“I really regret having disappointed so many people and I understand that they are angry with us,” said Sagstuen in a statement. He added: “The criticisms are justified” given the “abuse of trust.”

Sagstuen commented to have received several messages from people who planned to go on vacation, reform their houses or buy an apartment.

“I can only tell them: I'm sorry! But I understand that it is a little comfort,” he added.

A woman, in full reform project, told the Norwegian broadcasting corporation (NRK) that she received a notification that she had won 1.2 million crowns (US $ 119,000), but that in reality she only received a fraction of that sum.

The North Tipping Board of Directors met urgently on Saturday with the Ministry of Culture, an agency that manages the company.

After the meeting, Sagstuen left his position as general director. He held the position since September 2023 and worked at Norsk Tipping since 2014.

“Here failures have occurred in several aspects; this is my responsibility,” he said.

Errors in recent months

The Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, told NRK that “such errors should not happen,” especially because Norsk Tipping has exclusivity to provide game services in the country.

“We hope that the Board of Directors actively work to improve control routines,” he added.

This is not the first time that Norsk Tipping receives criticism.

The company said that several serious errors have been detected in recent months and that it has experienced several technical problems during the last year.

He acknowledged having received strong criticism from the regulator and his clients, and that the criticisms were justified