Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen has officially resigned in the wake of a major scandal involving the company’s Eurojackpot lottery. The resignation was supported unanimously by the Board of Directors, following a serious error that led to thousands of Norwegians being wrongly informed of massive lottery winnings. 

Sagstuen, who assumed the role of CEO in September 2023, has taken full responsibility for the mishap and is stepping down after 11 years with the organisation. Speaking on her decision, Sagstuen stated, “As a manager, it has been my responsibility to handle the errors that have occurred, and it has been very gratifying to see how a united Norsk Tipping has responded to the challenges and worked day and night to solve them.”

Human Error Affected Over 41,000 Players

The incident occurred when a system error caused around 41,000 Norsk Tipping players to receive incorrect notifications about winning large sums in the Eurojackpot. Notably, 16,000 of those individuals received push notifications via their phones, falsely indicating they had won significant amounts. 

The reported error inflated winnings by a factor of 10,000, creating widespread confusion and disappointment. The company later confirmed that the error was due to a series of human mistakes. In response, several internal measures have been launched to tighten controls and prevent similar issues in the future.

Leadership and Ministry Respond

Sylvia Brustad, Chair of Norsk Tipping’s Board, expressed gratitude for Sagstuen’s service and the reform work she began. “I would like to thank Tonje for the important and good job she has done for the company and for the improvement work she has initiated.”

She also addressed the scandal directly. “We apologise for the mistake, which should not have happened. There were several human failures in this matter, unfortunately. But we are now fully focused on correcting it. We have many talented people at Hamar who work day and night. Many measures have been initiated to strengthen internal control.” 

Norway’s Minister of Culture, Lubna Jaffery, echoed these concerns, highlighting the need for public trust. “Norsk Tipping is completely dependent on having the trust of the people. The exclusive model depends on that. The Ministry will continue to follow up with the board. Such mistakes should not happen and we expect the board to work actively to improve control routines.”

Ongoing Turbulence in 2025

This incident adds to a challenging year for Norsk Tipping. Earlier in 2025, the organisation implemented stricter loss limits for young players. 

More recently, the Norwegian Lottery Authority launched an investigation following reports that underage individuals may have accessed Norsk Tipping’s casino games. Norsk Tipping is owned by the Norwegian Government and overseen by the Ministry of Culture, so it must rebuild public trust and ensure future compliance across all operations.