Norsk Tipping faces NOK10 million penalty over Eurojackpot prize scandal
Summary
The Norwegian Lottery and Foundation Authority (Lottstift) has notified state operator Norsk Tipping it faces a penalty of up to NOK10 million after an error caused thousands of players to be told they had won inflated Eurojackpot prizes. For the 27 June draw around 47,000 players received incorrect prize notifications and about 30,000 got SMS or push messages. The fault was a conversion formula error that multiplied euro prizes by 100 instead of dividing by 100; the draw itself was not affected.
Lottstift previously found Norsk Tipping had breached the Gambling Act and is carrying out an ongoing review. The fine equals roughly 0.1% of Norsk Tipping’s 2024 turnover. The operator has three weeks to respond and has already implemented measures to improve controls. Acting CEO Vegar Strand apologised and said charity contributions will be reduced because of the penalty. Lottstift described the incident as a “serious breach of trust” and will impose extensive monitoring. The case follows several other recent fines and incidents at Norsk Tipping.
Key Points
- Lottstift has proposed a penalty of up to NOK10 million for incorrect prize notifications related to the Eurojackpot draw on 27 June.
- About 47,000 players were wrongly informed of large winnings; roughly 30,000 received SMS/push alerts.
- The root cause was a conversion error: prize amounts were multiplied by 100 instead of being divided — not an issue with the draw itself.
- The fine represents about 0.1% of Norsk Tipping’s 2024 turnover (NOK10.2bn); the operator has three weeks to reply to the ruling.
- Norsk Tipping says it has strengthened routines and monitoring; it will reduce charity contributions as a result of the penalty.
- Lottstift will increase oversight of Norsk Tipping’s Lotto, Eurojackpot and Vikinglotto offerings amid an ongoing review.
- This incident follows other recent technical failings and fines (including NOK46m and NOK36m penalties) that raise governance and control concerns.
Context and relevance
The case is significant for regulators, operators and anyone tracking gambling governance. It highlights how operational and systems errors — not just policy or compliance failings — can erode public trust and trigger regulatory action. For state-run operators that fund public or charitable causes, financial penalties can have downstream social effects when contributions are cut. The story also reinforces a wider industry trend: regulators across the Nordics are tightening oversight and expecting stronger technical controls and testing regimes.
Author take
Punchy: Repeated, high-profile errors at a national operator aren’t just embarrassing — they point to deeper control failures. Regulators are signalling they will act; operators must fix both systems and governance or face ongoing scrutiny and reputational damage.
Why should I read this?
If you work in gaming, regulation, payments or charity funding in the region, this matters. It shows why tight testing and conversion controls are non-negotiable, why regulators are getting tougher, and how mistakes at scale hit trust and public funding. We’ve read the detail so you don’t have to — quick, clear and worth scanning.