Norsk Tipping, Norway’s state-operated lottery, has apologized after a coding mistake led to thousands of players receiving erroneous notifications of high lottery winnings, sparking outrage and feelings of betrayal.
Lottery Miscommunication Shatters Dreams in Norway: State Company Apologizes
Lottery Miscommunication Shatters Dreams in Norway: State Company Apologizes
A coding error caused Norwegian lottery players to falsely believe they had won extravagant prizes, leading to widespread disappointment.
In a shocking turn of events, thousands of hopeful lottery players in Norway were left disheartened last week after the state-owned gambling company, Norsk Tipping, mistakenly informed them of winning “erroneously high prizes.” The disappointment followed a significant technological blunder that arose during the currency conversion process for the EuroJackpot lottery.
Norsk Tipping revealed that a coding error caused misleading notifications to be sent to several thousand players, leading them to believe they had struck gold in the latest draw. Apologizing for the mix-up, the company admitted that the erroneous messages had created “false hopes” among the players, some of whom had even begun making plans for vacations or property purchases on the back of winnings.
Tonje Sagstuen, the now-former chief executive of Norsk Tipping, expressed regret over the incident, stating that the trust between the company and its clientele had been severely compromised. In a statement, she lamented the breach of confidence, acknowledging that the emotional impact on players was significant.
The nature of the mistake lay in a “manual error” in the code that converted the Euro values into Norwegian kroner. Instead of the intended division by 100, the algorithm inadvertently multiplied the figures by 100, thereby inflating the prize notifications dramatically. Norsk Tipping's chairwoman, Sylvia Brustad, recognized the damage this error had caused and emphasized the imperative for the organization to earn back public trust.
Norsk Tipping has not disclosed the exact number of players affected or the amounts they were erroneously told they had won, with the overall prize pool for the ill-fated EuroJackpot draw estimated at around $50 million. Public criticism has surged, prompting calls for accountability from both customers and governmental authorities alike, as the company vows to make necessary improvements moving forward.
Amelia Nierenberg is a breaking news reporter for relevant international topics based in London.
