A view of the city of Oslo, Norway. (CTV)
A lottery company in Norway stunned tens of thousands of people after a major mistake in its system led many to believe they had won large cash prizes. The company later revealed that a simple math error caused the confusion.
What Went Wrong
On Friday, during the Eurojackpot draw, the lottery company posted the wrong prize amounts. Instead of dividing euro cents into kroner, the system multiplied the numbers by 100. This created wildly inflated winnings.
One Player's Experience
Ole Fredrik Sveen, who was vacationing in Greece, got a message saying he had won 1.2 million kroner (around $119,000). He visited the website, saw the confirmation, and felt overjoyed.
“I thought: ‘Wow, is it finally my turn?’” Sveen said.
Sadly, his actual prize was only 125 kroner (around $12).
Mass Disappointment Follows
On Monday, Sveen and nearly 47,000 others got a text from the company admitting the error and offering an apology. But for many, including Sveen, the message came too late.
“The apology was a poor consolation,” Sveen said. “They should have sent it earlier.”
Public and Political Backlash
People all over Norway criticized the company harshly. Players felt let down and misled. But it wasn’t just the public who was upset. The country's Lottery Authority announced an investigation to see if any laws were broken.
Norway's Culture Minister, Lubna Jaffery, didn’t hold back either. She called the situation “totally unacceptable.”
Leadership Change Follows Scandal
After the mistake, the company’s CEO, Tonje Sagstuen, stepped down from her role on Saturday. Acting CEO Vegar Strand spoke out on Monday, admitting the error and promising to fix things.
Strand said, “We have deeply disappointed our customers and take full responsibility.”
He added, “Our company is owned by the state. Trust means everything to us.”
A Focus on Rebuilding Trust
Strand promised that the company would now focus on regaining trust from the public. He said their top goal moving forward is to make things right with their customers.
The mistake may have been a technical one, but the emotional impact was huge for thousands. Many had a brief moment of joy thinking they had won big, only to be hit with a bitter reality.
