Thousands of lottery players in Norway were mistakenly told last week that they had won more money than they actually did.
Norsk Tipping, the state-owned gambling company, on Friday said people who won the Eurojackpot were told they had won millions in incorrect amounts. It’s unclear exactly how many people were impacted, but no customers were paid the wrong prizes, the company said in a news release.
The mistake stemmed from an error when winnings in Euros — which the company receives from Germany — were converted to Norwegian kroner, and they were multiplied by 100 instead of divided by 100, the company said.
“I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us,” Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen said in a translated statement. “I have received many messages from people who had managed to make plans for holidays, buying an apartment or renovating before they realized that the amount was wrong. To them I can only say: Sorry! But I understand that it is a small consolation.”
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On Saturday, Sagstuen announced that she was stepping down following the mistake. She had worked at the company since 2014 and had been CEO since September 2023, the company said.
“As a manager, it has been my responsibility to handle the errors that have occurred, and it has been very gratifying to see how a united Norsk Tipping has responded to the challenges and worked day and night to solve them,” Sagstuen said in a translated statement. “That is why it is also incredibly sad to leave Norsk Tipping and all the talented people who work at Hamar.”
Sagstuen is set to receive six months of severance pay per her employment contract, Norwegian broadcaster TV2 reported. As of last year, her salary was reported to be 3,732,000 kroner, or $370,338, according to TV2, which cited a regional newspaper.
In the announcement posted on its website, Norsk Tipping said it has experienced a number of technical problems in the past year and that it’s investigating how the mistake happened.