Thousands in Norway erroneously told they'd won millions in lottery
A conversion error led 'several thousand' players in Norway to be notified that they'd won big.
Prize amounts, originally in euro cents, were multiplied by 100 rather than divided by 100 when converted into Norwegian kroner, according to local media.
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Norsk Tipping, Norway's state-owned gambling company, called the calculation mistake and the ensuing chaos a 'manual error' in a statement one day later.
'Norsk Tipping sincerely apologizes to everyone who was notified of an incorrect prize amount,' the company said.
Norsk Tipping added that 'incorrect prize amounts were removed from the website and app on Friday evening.'
According to the company, no customers were able to cash in their incorrect prize, though some had already started planning what to do with their winnings.
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Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen apologized and stepped down from her role Saturday.
'I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us,' Sagstuen said in a statement.
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What To Know The prize mistake occurred when the results were announced for the Eurojackpot game on Friday. Norsk Tipping receives the prize amounts from Germany in euros and coverts them to Norwegian kroner. However, the winnings were converted to cents and then mistakenly multiplied by 100, instead of being divided by 100, the company said in a statement, blaming a "manual coding error." Ole Fredrik Sveen, a 53-year-old culinary school teacher, was among those who thought his life was about to change. While on holiday in Greece, he received a notification that he had won 1.25 million kroner (about $124,789), The Guardian reported. His joy lasted about 15 minutes before turning to suspicion as he looked online and saw many other big wins being reported. Sveen was right to be cautious because it turned out he had won 125 kroner (about $12.49). "At first you're ecstatic and happy about the message you got that says you won 1.2m kroner," he told The Guardian. 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I have received many messages from people who had managed to make plans for holidays, buying an apartment or renovating before they realized that the amount was wrong. To them I can only say: Sorry! But I understand that it is a small consolation." What Happens Next Officials are reviewing the incident. Norsk Tipping will likely seek a permanent CEO following Sagstuen's resignation.
