Norsk Tipping fined NOK 10 million for Eurojackpot prize error

• The Norwegian Gambling Authority has imposed a NOK 10 million fine on Norsk Tipping
• The fine follows a June incident where 47,000 players were incorrectly notified of inflated Eurojackpot prizes
• The error was caused by a coding mistake converting euros to kroner, multiplying prizes by 100 instead of dividing

The Norwegian Gambling Authority has upheld a NOK 10 million (€850,000) fine against state-owned operator Norsk Tipping following a major error in the Eurojackpot lottery draw in June 2025. The incident led to approximately 47,000 players receiving incorrect notifications that they had won significantly larger sums than the actual prizes.

Faulty conversion formula

The error stemmed from a coding system failure in the conversion of Norwegian kroner to euros. Instead of dividing by 100 to convert Euro cents into kroner, the system mistakenly multiplied the amounts by 100. This caused many players to believe they had won life-changing sums.

The Eurojackpot draw itself was conducted correctly, but the faulty conversion formula inflated prize values on notifications.

Norsk Tipping’s CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned immediately after the error was discovered, taking responsibility for the failure. The acting CEO, Vegar Strand, responded to the fine by emphasising the company’s commitment to restoring trust.

“This is a violation of gambling regulations, and we take the matter very seriously. We are very sorry that we disappointed thousands of customers with incorrect information about winnings of millions.” Strand said.

“We are now working systematically to ensure that such mistakes do not happen again, and hope that our work will restore trust among both customers and the public.”

The Norwegian Gambling Authority criticised Norsk Tipping for failing to identify the problem during testing and internal controls, describing the incident as “a serious breach of trust.” Director Atle Hamar commented:

“Players should be able to trust Norsk Tipping, and this is a serious breach of trust. Of course, it must be brutal when you receive a message that you have won a big prize, and then it is not true.”

The regulator called the lottery operator’s delay in detecting the mistake “reprehensible.”

Perpetual failuries

This is not the first operational failure for Norsk Tipping in recent times. Past issues have included a NOK 25 million erroneous casino payout, problematic login/logout glitches on mobile platforms, and longstanding errors in lottery draws affecting fairness.

As a result, the regulator launched a thorough inspection of key games including Lotto, Vikinglotto, and Eurojackpot to assess the operator’s controls and compliance.

The fine amounts to about 0.1% of Norsk Tipping’s annual turnover, which was approximately NOK 10.2 billion in 2024. The gambling authority has given Norsk Tipping three weeks to accept or appeal the fine.

In the meantime, Norsk Tipping has implemented extensive measures to improve procedures and monitoring across the company to prevent similar mistakes.