Massive disappointment: Norway lottery mistakenly notified thousands of players of huge prizes
The Norwegian lottery got thousands of players excited with messages telling them they had won big in the Eurojackpot only to leave them disappointed.
Thousands of Norwegians went from being elated to deeply disappointed after Norsk Tipping mistakenly informed them that they had won life-changing sums of money from the Eurojackpot. The Norwegian state-owned gambling company quickly corrected the mistake on Friday and apologized to customers.
Additionally, Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned her position in the wake of the “excessively high” prize amounts being stated to customers. This was just the latest in “several serious errors” and “technical problems” the Norwegian lottery has experienced this year.
Lottery winnings lost in conversion
The problem stemmed from the winnings being multiplied by 100 instead of being divided by 100 according to statement from Norsk Tipping. The lottery agency receives the prize amounts in euros from Germany which are then covered to Norwegian kroners.
Scores of Norwegian lottery winners were told that they had received million-plus kroner sums like Ole Fredrik Sveen reports The Guardian. He was on holiday in Greece when he was told that he had won over 1.2 million kroner, roughly $119,000.
However, in reality the amount was only a fraction of that, a poultry 125 kroner, a little more than $12.
“At first you’re ecstatic and happy about the message you got,” said Sveen, a culinary schoolteacher from near Oslo. He counted his luck that he didn’t splurge, spending money that he didn’t have in the end. “Thankfully we kept our heads cool and realized it wasn’t meant to be this time either,” he said adding that he’d still celebrate the win.
“I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us,” Sagstuen said in a statement. No incorrect prize amounts were disbursed according to Norsk Tipping.
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