In a shocking turn of events, many Norwegians thought they had hit the jackpot after receiving notifications about huge lottery winnings, only to find out it was all a major mix-up. The state-owned gambling company, Norsk Tipping, mistakenly informed "several thousand" players that they had won exaggerated amounts in the Eurojackpot due to an error in currency conversion.
Instead of dividing the euro prize amounts by 100, they multiplied them, leading to inflated notifications that made players believe they were millionaires. Tonje Sagstuen, the CEO of Norsk Tipping, publicly apologized for the confusion but resigned just a day later.
The actual figures were corrected shortly after the announcement, but no payouts were made incorrectly. Many hopeful winners had already made plans for their winnings, including vacations and home renovations. One woman who thought she won 1.2 million kroner (around $119,000) only received a fraction of that amount.
After an emergency meeting with the Ministry of Culture, where concerns about the company's control systems were raised, Sagstuen acknowledged the company's recent struggles with technical errors and expressed her deep regret for disappointing so many individuals. Critics are demanding more rigorous oversight to prevent such incidents in the future, especially as Norsk Tipping currently holds a monopoly on gaming services in Norway.
