Latest news with #manualerror
Digital Trends
2 days ago
- Business
- Digital Trends
A coding blunder just ruined a moment of joy for lottery winners
Imagine the joy of being notified of a huge lottery win. What would be the first thing you'd do? Get the champagne in? Book a fancy vacation? Call your boss and tell him where to go? And then imagine being informed that the notification had, in fact, been sent in error. Well, you can always send the booze back and cancel the holiday, but trying to convince your boss that you were just joking … well, that may be a bigger challenge. Recommended Videos In an awful turn of events, several thousand people in Norway were told via text messages and push notifications that they'd won 'excessively high' prizes in last Friday's Eurojackpot draw. Except that they hadn't. Norsk Tipping, Norway's state-owned gambling operator, had to contact the winners again to tell them that it had made a terrible mistake after a manual coding error inflated the value of their winning prizes. In a press release shared online, Norsk Tipping explained that it always receives the prize amounts from Germany in euro cents, and then converts them to Norwegian kroner as Norway doesn't use the euro currency. 'It was during this conversion that a manual error was made in the code that is entered into our game engine,' Norsk Tipping said, adding that instead of being divided by 100, the winning amounts had been multiplied by 100. Which means that instead of splashing out on a new car, the winners would, more likely, be able to splash out on a new air freshener for their current vehicle. If they have one. Norsk Tipping said that the process of sending out prizes began at about 3:15 a.m local time, and was confirmed completed at about 4:30 a.m., with SMS and push notifications sent to customers who had consented to receiving such messages. While no payouts were made, Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen deemed the error serious enough for her to quit her post on Saturday. 'I've received many messages from people who had managed to make plans for holidays, buying an apartment or redecorating before they realized that the amount was wrong,' Sagstuen said in comments reported by Euronews. 'To them I can only say: I'm sorry! But I understand that it's little consolation.' The Guardian tracked down one of the winners, a guy called Sveen who teaches at a culinary school in Oslo. He received a message telling him he'd won 1.2 million kroner ($120,000), but it turned out he'd only won a paltry 125 kroner ($12.50). Despite the disappointment, Sveen said he would still celebrate, though he admitted that 'you don't get too much champagne for that money. It's more like a glass of prosecco or crémant than champagne.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Thousands mistakenly told they won up to millions in major lottery gaffe as players forced to abandon splurging dreams
A manual conversion error was to blame for the scandal OUT OF LUCK Thousands mistakenly told they won up to millions in major lottery gaffe as players forced to abandon splurging dreams THOUSANDS of people in Norway were mistakenly told they had won life-changing amounts of money in a blunder by the lottery. Some were even told they had become millionaires and began planning new futures - only to find their true prizes were much smaller. Advertisement 2 Thousands were told they had won huge sums on Norway's Euro Jackpot game Credit: Getty 2 Close-up Of Person's Hand Marking Number On Lottery Ticket With Pen Credit: Getty Norway's state-owned gambling operator, Norsk Tipping, said "several thousands countries were notified of incorrectly high prizes" won in the Euro Jackpot. The agonising mistake prompted the CEO to step down. It arose from a calculation error when prize amounts, received from Germany in Euros, were converted to the Norwegian Kroner. The company explained: 'It is during this conversion that a manual error has been made in the code that is entered into our game engine. Advertisement 'The amount has been multiplied by 100, instead of being divided by 100.' The eye-watering prizes were displayed on the website and mobile app on Friday but later removed. No incorrect sums were paid out, Norsk Tipping confirmed. One woman caught up in the farce is in the middle of a renovation project and told the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) she was alerted that she had won £87,000 - but instead received only a fraction of that. Advertisement Others said they made plans to buy cars and planned holidays - only to have it all snatched away. Lise Naustdal, who thought she had won £138,000, said: "It was a very fun minute." Man wins $800k at casino but is told he won't see a cent – he's being forced to sue for wanting to 'stay below radar' The company was hauled in front of the Ministry of Culture for an emergency meeting on Saturday. Following the scolding, Tonje Sagstuen, its chief since 2023, stepped down. Advertisement She said: "I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us. "Here, things have failed in several places, this is my responsibility." Tonje admitted that "criticism is justified" over the "breach of trust". Norway's Minister of Culture and Equality, Lubna Jaffery, told NRK that "such mistakes should not happen" - especially given Norsk Tipping has the exclusive right to deliver gaming services in the country. Advertisement She said: "We expect the board to work actively to improve the control routines." Tonje added: 'As a manager, it has been my responsibility to handle the mistakes that have occurred. 'Therefore, it is also incredibly sad to leave Norsk Tipping and all the talented people who work in Hamar. Advertisement "I will miss everyone I have worked with, but I am confident that all the improvement processes we have initiated are in good hands.'
