Highlights
- Norsk Tipping is in danger of a big fine after they found mistakes in the Eurojackpot and Lotto draws.
- Every draw since 2021 has had wrong winners and maybe even before that.
- Millions of players have been affected by this error in the draw process.
Norsk Tipping is facing its third fine in a year after an investigation found irregularities in the Eurojackpot and Lotto draws. The probe discovered that the supplementary draw method gave an unfair advantage to tickets submitted by syndicates, gaming clubs or cooperative banks and they won more than they were supposed to. This has been going on since at least 2021 but maybe even earlier. Atle Hamar, Director of the Lottery and Foundations Authority, said: “Every draw for several years has been wrong. That means millions of players have been affected.”
The gaming operator is now facing a fine of NOK 46 million (approximately $4.4 million) which is 0.45% of their annual turnover. Norsk Tipping has three weeks to respond before the Norwegian Lottery Authority makes its final decision. While Norsk Tipping is generally committed to responsible gaming, Hamar said the situation is “a major breach of the law with big consequences for many players.”
The company was informed of the potential problem last year but didn’t do a full investigation at the time. Two more draws were done after Norsk Tipping informed the regulators of a possible system flaw. And Norsk Tipping had indications the Lotto super draw was faulty weeks before they did anything about it.
If the fine is imposed, it will be the third in 12 months for Norsk Tipping. The previous two were a NOK 4.5 million fine related to a NOK 25 million payout error on the KongKasino Game which is still open, and a NOK 36 million fine after a system fault prevented players from using self-exclusion features on the company’s platforms. Norsk Tipping, the state owned company that offers lotteries, sports betting and online casino games in Norway, is now under closer scrutiny. Hamar said: “Norsk Tipping must have better control over their products. We will increase supervision if necessary.”
In response to the ongoing issues the Norwegian Gambling Authority is working on new rules that will require third party testing of game systems to ensure they are secure and working as intended. Their latest report also advises Norsk Tipping to take proactive measures to mitigate the risks with online casino and digital games, especially those targeting younger users.
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