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The Norwegian Gambling Authority (Lottstift) intends to fine Norsk Tipping up to NOK46m (€3.9m) for years of “serious” errors in Eurojackpot extra draws and Lotto super draws that affected millions of players.
The errors gave players in syndicates, gaming clubs and cooperative banks an unfair advantage in draws that Norsk Tipping has confirmed were affected since 2021, but similar incidents may extend further back in time, according to Lottstift’s update on Tuesday (April 29).
Atle Hamar, director general of the gambling authority, said: "This means that the error has affected millions of players. There have been wrong winners in every single draw over several years.”
The error follows two enforcement actions over the past year against the monopoly, including a €3.15m (NOK36m) fine for self-exclusion tool technical failures and a €380,000 (NOK4.5m) fine related to an erroneous payout in the KongKasino product. Norsk Tipping has appealed the second fine.
Norsk Tipping has three weeks to comment before the Norwegian Gambling Authority makes a decision.
The latest compliance failures have again opened the door for lawmakers and the online trade group calling for a licensing model to voice concerns. It is a crucial year for Norsk Tipping’s public image as Norway is set for an election in September.
Norwegian parliamentarian Tage Pettersen wrote a question to the minister of culture and equality on April 25, asking how the minister will “ensure that Norsk Tipping follows up on the mistakes that have been made?”
He also asked if the minister will “ensure that Norsk Tipping compensates customers for not having received what they have paid for?".
“In his answer to my question dated 02.03.2025, the Minister replies that the company itself must answer for what they will do to possibly compensate customers, and also how they intend to clean up the problems that have been uncovered. Since then, the matter has grown in scope,” wrote Pettersen, a member of the Conservative Party, which has called for an end to the monopoly.
The minister's answer has yet to be published.
Carl Stenstrøm, secretary general of the Norwegian Online Gambling Association (NBO), said this is just one of many “scandals” surrounding Norsk Tipping.
“In a few months, they have experienced faults in the exclusion tool for problem gamblers, wrong payouts, and now a fault in their drawing system, resulting in players not receiving the product that they paid for. All in all, these mistakes have resulted in fines totalling some NOK90m,” he told Vixio GamblingCompliance.
Stenstrøm said the issues “show that Norsk Tipping’s lack of competition and limited oversight has made them complacent, and it is time for a large-scale overhaul of the Norwegian system through a licensing model”.
