Numerous Norwegians received a message from Staatsloterij Norsk Tipping last Friday that they had won millions at the Eurojackpot. Until it turned out that a calculation error had been made. When converting from Euro to Norwegian Kroon, the amount was multiplied by 100 instead of shared. The prize pool was therefore a lot lower than expected. Norsk Tipping receives the price amounts from Germany in euros and then calculates them to Norwegian Kronen.
Exactly how many people were misled, Norsk Tipping did not want to say to the BBC, but local media are talking about different thousands. Nobody was paid incorrectly, the company assures.
“I am very sorry that we have disappointed so many people, and I understand that people are angry with us,” said Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen, who found the “criticism justified” in view of the “breach of trust”. Sagstuen also said that she had received various messages from people who were planning to go on holiday, renovate their house or buy an apartment. “I can only say to them: sorry! But I understand that it is a poor comfort,” she said.