Norsk Tipping Under Scrutiny After Draw Errors

Draw System Error Gave Unfair Advantage

A technical issue in the draw setup for Eurojackpot and Lotto special rounds gave syndicate players higher odds than intended. Norsk Tipping admitted the error began in 2021, though it might have started earlier. In 2024, 1.5 million people played Eurojackpot, and nearly 2 million joined Lotto. Each year includes around 108 special draws.

“This means the error affected millions of players. Every draw over several years produced the wrong winner.”

Said Atle Hamar, director of the Norwegian Lottery and Foundation Authority (Lotteritilsynet).

Lotteritilsynet stated that Norsk Tipping first received internal alerts about possible Eurojackpot issues in November 2024. The company didn’t investigate at the time. An external tip followed on January 24. Despite that, Norsk Tipping went ahead with two more draws before running checks and confirming the error.

Authorities Propose NOK 46 million Fine

Lotteritilsynet notified Norsk Tipping about a possible fine of up to NOK 46 million. This amount equals 0.45% of the company’s 2024 turnover, which was NOK 10.2 billion after prize payouts. Norsk Tipping has three weeks to respond before the authority issues a final decision.

“Although Norsk Tipping usually focuses on safe gambling, this incident was serious. It impacted millions and clearly broke the law.”

Third Regulatory Issue in Less Than a Year

This marks Norsk Tipping’s third regulatory violation within a year. In one case, the company wrongly paid NOK 25 million to a KongKasino player and received a fine of NOK 4.5 million. That decision remains under appeal. In another incident, a system failure prevented some players from self-excluding. That led to a fine of NOK 36 million.

Hamar stressed that Norsk Tipping must strengthen its game oversight. He said the authority plans to increase regulatory pressure. Lotteritilsynet has started work on new rules. These may require all games to pass external testing before launch.