Trond Bentestuen to join Norsk Tipping as new chief executive

• Trond Bentestuen will replace interim CEO Vegar Strand following the departure of Tonje Sagstuen in June 2025.
• Bentestuen currently serves as CEO of Løvenskiold Handel, which owns building materials retailer Maxbo.
• The appointment comes after a turbulent year marked by regulatory fines totalling NOK119.5m.

Norway’s state-owned gambling monopoly Norsk Tipping has appointed Trond Bentestuen as its new chief executive, ending a six-month search for permanent leadership following a series of operational failures that rocked the organisation.

Bentestuen will replace Vegar Strand, who has served as acting CEO since June 2025. The start date has not yet been confirmed, though Norwegian media reports suggest it could take up to six months before he formally assumes the role.

Experienced retail executive takes helm

The 55-year-old currently serves as chief executive of Løvenskiold Handel, the parent company of building materials retailer Maxbo. Before this, Bentestuen spent three years as CEO of Norwegian supermarket chain Rema 1000 Norge, departing that role in 2021.

Earlier in his career, Bentestuen held several senior positions at financial services company DNB over more than a decade, including overseeing personal banking, wealth management and insurance operations.

Sylvia Brustad, chairperson of Norsk Tipping’s board, expressed confidence in the appointment.

“Trond’s broad management experience and personal qualities make me confident that he is the right person for Norsk Tipping when the company is to deliver on the adopted main ambitions of a society without gambling problems, world-class digital customer experiences and strong power to change,” Brustad said.

Challenging inheritance following scandal

Bentestuen inherits an organisation struggling to restore public confidence. The most damaging incident occurred on 28 June, when approximately 47,000 players received incorrect notifications about Eurojackpot winnings.

A calculation error during currency conversion from euro cents to Norwegian kroner resulted in prize amounts being displayed as 10,000 times higher than actual values. Around 16,000 customers received push notifications showing inflated winnings, with some believing they had won millions of kroner.

The scandal prompted the resignation of then-CEO Tonje Sagstuen on 28 June. The regulator subsequently imposed a NOK10m fine for the error.

“Norsk Tipping is a unique company with a very special social mission,” Bentestuen said in a statement on LinkedIn.

“Namely, to ensure that responsible gaming and the prevention of gambling addiction are combined with efficient operations that ensure that as much of the revenue as possible goes to good causes.”

Mounting regulatory penalties

The Eurojackpot incident was merely the most visible of several failures during 2024. In February, the Norwegian Lottery Authority (Lotteritilsynet) issued a NOK36m penalty after discovering players had been unable to self-exclude from gambling for five months.

In September, the regulator imposed a NOK46m fine following the discovery of a technical error in Eurojackpot and Lotto that had persisted for several years. The fault gave players in cooperatives, gaming clubs and cooperative banks an unfair advantage.

Moreover, in the same month, the operator faced more potential fines of NOK25m for a technical error that excluded thousands from a lottery draw.

Additional penalties included a NOK2.5m fine in 2024 after the operator mistakenly paid a customer NOK25m in incorrect winnings.

Auditor reports highlight systemic issues

Consultancy firms KPMG and PwC published separate reports examining Norsk Tipping’s operational procedures. PwC’s analysis concluded that the operator had prioritised innovation and new product development at the expense of quality control.

In December, Strand informed stakeholders that the operator had begun implementing corrective measures across 22 of the 25 primary recommendations made by KPMG.

“It will be demanding for the entire organisation, but it is absolutely necessary to strengthen quality and rebuild trust,” Strand said.

State monopoly under political pressure

Norway operates one of Europe’s strictest gambling regulatory frameworks, with Norsk Tipping holding exclusive rights to operate most forms of gambling. All profits are directed to charitable causes, sporting activities and cultural programmes.

According to company reports, Norsk Tipping generated NOK7.087bn in profit during 2023. Since 1948, the operator has contributed approximately NOK200bn (price-adjusted) to public benefit purposes.

However, recent operational failures have intensified political debate about the monopoly’s future. The Progress Party (FRP), which became Norway’s second-largest political party following the September 2025 election with 47 seats, has called for abolition of the gambling monopoly system.

The Conservative Party has also joined calls to end the monopoly, raising the prospect of market liberalisation by 2028.

Restoration of confidence

Bentestuen’s appointment brings leadership from outside the gambling sector. His experience managing large consumer-facing organisations will be tested as he attempts to restore confidence in the monopoly operator.

Whether his leadership can reverse Norsk Tipping’s fortunes and preserve Norway’s gambling monopoly model remains to be seen as political and public scrutiny intensifies.