Key Moments:
- An error in the April 19th super draw resulted in 52 incorrect million-dollar prize winners.
- The Norwegian Lottery Authority has formally approved a NOK 25 million fine for Norsk Tipping.
- Norsk Tipping has refunded bets to players excluded from the affected draw.
Regulatory Response to Drawing Error
A technical fault in Norsk Tipping’s super draw conducted on April 19th has led to the Norwegian Lottery Authority levying a NOK 25 million penalty against the operator. This penalty, first announced in September, has now been finalized and approved by the authority.
According to the authority, players must be able to have confidence in the integrity of Norsk Tipping draws. Tore Bell, department director at the Norwegian Lottery Authority, stated: “Players should be able to trust that Norsk Tipping’s draws are correct. This is absolutely fundamental, and therefore this is a serious matter.”
Details of the Technical Failure
The incident stemmed from a lapse where bets submitted at cooperative banks near the Christmas and New Year period were deleted and omitted from the April 19th draw. As a result, the draw was based on incorrect data, causing 52 individuals to be named as million-dollar winners in error.
Norsk Tipping responded by refunding the bets of all players whose participation was excluded from the compromised draw. The Norwegian Lottery Authority also received insurance related to this situation.
Ongoing Compliance Issues
The April 19th error was preceded by a string of earlier technical problems. The authority considered halting the super draw altogether due to ongoing concerns. Bell stated: “It is grossly negligent that Norsk Tipping did not check that all the players who had submitted bets were included in the draw, when they knew that there had been serious errors in the draw basis over a long period of time.”
Norsk Tipping provided assurances that the April 19th draw would proceed without incident, leading officials to allow it to go ahead. Nonetheless, another technical error occurred, and, following the draw, Norsk Tipping publicly reported that the event had been conducted with the appropriate drawing foundation and odds.
Rising Regulatory Fines
The NOK 25 million fine is the fifth to be imposed on Norsk Tipping within just over a year, with total regulatory penalties now exceeding NOK 100 million.
| Incident | Penalty Amount (NOK) | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Erroneous casino payout (KongKasino) | Original: 4.5 million Reduced: 2.5 million | Player was mistakenly paid NOK 25 million |
| Inability to log out (iPhone/iPad) | 36 million | Players could not log out for four months, only discovered when reported |
| Serious drawing errors (Eurojackpot & Lotto) | 46 million | Players had elevated winning odds for several years, resulting in incorrect winners each draw |
| Excessive prize notifications (June) | 10 million | Several thousand players were notified about excessive prizes |
| April 19th super draw error | 25 million | 52 incorrect million-dollar winners drawn |
Ongoing Investigations
Regulatory authorities are currently carrying out a comprehensive review of Lotto, Eurojackpot, and Vikinglotto.
- Author
Daniel Williams
