Thousands of individuals in Norway experienced a rollercoaster of emotions recently when they mistakenly believed they had struck gold in the EuroJackpot lottery, only to discover it was all a misunderstanding. The state-owned gambling entity, Norsk Tipping, issued a formal apology after it was revealed that notifications about "erroneously high prizes" were sent due to a coding blunder.
The mix-up occurred during the conversions from euros to Norwegian kroner, which were meant to reflect actual prize amounts. Instead of dividing the prize figures by 100, the faulty code multiplied them by 100. This simple yet significant error resulted in inflated prize notifications reaching "several thousand" players, creating a wave of excitement that quickly turned to disappointment.
In the aftermath, Tonje Sagstuen, the now former chief executive, expressed her regret for what she termed the "false hopes" that were instilled in players, some of whom had already begun planning vacations or making significant purchases based on their supposed winnings.
In a statement, Norsk Tipping acknowledged the breach of trust, noting that the error was identified swiftly but the repercussions lingered. Even as the company works to address the fallout, it has faced sharp criticism from affected players and government officials alike.
Sylvia Brustad, chairman of Norsk Tipping, emphasized the necessity of restoring public faith in the company, vowing to take necessary steps for improvement. The total prize fund for the lottery draw in question was around $50 million, but the precise number of customers affected remains unclear. EuroJackpot has not yet released a formal response addressing the situation.