Over six million people in Germany play the lottery, according to a survey by Statista. Few probably expect to ever win a large sum of money. However, in Norway, exactly that has happened to many lottery customers. A total of 47,000 players received a message that they had won a significant amount in the Eurojackpot, as reported by the Norwegian Public Broadcaster NRK. Among these were prizes of up to 1.2 million Norwegian Kroner, equivalent to approximately 101,000 euros.
What the supposed lucky winners didn't know at the time: The lottery company „Norsk Tipping“ had miscalculated. The company informed its customers of this mistake later that same evening. The error, as reported by the daily newspaper „Verdens Gang“, was due to a miscalculation.
This is because „Norsk Tipping“ receives its prize amounts from Germany. These amounts are then converted into euros and, subsequently, need to be converted into Norwegian kroner using a specific system. However, instead of dividing the eurocent amounts by 100, as the exchange rate dictates, they mistakenly multiplied them by 100. This miscalculation resulted in the exorbitantly high amounts, and in the end, thousands of winners went home with nominal sums of around ten euros.
Shattered dreams for the winners
One of them is Ole Frederik Sveen, who also received the notification that he had won 1.2 million kroner, he told NRK. At the time, he was on vacation on the Greek island of Limnos. "I thought: Wow, is it finally my turn? Can this be true? I'm on the „Norsk Tipping“ site, and it says in black and white: Congratulations, you have won!"
As he later found out, it was actually only 125 kroner, about 10.50 euros. "I think I'll save the money until I'm back home, and then we'll go and buy a Crémant. Because it probably won't be enough for champagne," Sveen told NRK.
Another affected individual is Mina Bakken from Bærum. She received a notification claiming she was now 2.5 million kroner (211,000 euros) richer, she told „Verdens Gang“. However, in reality, the sum turned out to be much less. The situation was particularly tragic for the Halvorsen family, who had already planned to use the winnings to finance their ongoing and costly home renovation, according to „NRK“. Unfortunately, they too were let down.
Norske Tipping takes action
Norsk Tipping has already issued apologies and is taking personal consequences from the scandal. CEO Tonje Sagstuen has already resigned, reports TV2. However, she will receive a severance payment equivalent to six months' salary.