Lottstift, the Norwegian gambling authority, has upheld its NOK 25m (£2m) penalty issued to state-owned gambling operator Norsk Tipping.
The regulator first announced that it was considering issuing a penalty back in September, due to a Norsk Tipping error, which mistakenly awarded 52 customers millionaire prizes, a mishap that drew international headlines on Norsk Tipping’s management.
An error during the Super Draw in April led to 16,698 people wrongly omitted from the prize draw, automatically making the 52 winners invalid.
Lottstift had some reservations about the draw, even suggesting that it should not go through on the designated date, but Norsk Tipping reassured the regulator that there is no reason for concern on multiple occasions.
This continued even after the draw, with assurances subsequently submitted by Norsk Tipping in a preliminary safety report, until the error was later confirmed by Lottstift.
Tore Bell, Department Director at Lottstift, commented: “It is grossly negligent that Norsk Tipping did not check that all the players who had submitted bets were included in the draw, when they knew that there had been serious errors in the draw basis over a long time.
“We can stop the game if it is not carried out correctly. We considered this in this case, but we received several guarantees that the draw would go smoothly. Then it is unacceptable that there was still an error in the draw.
“Players should be able to trust that Norsk Tipping’s draws are correct. This is absolutely fundamental, and therefore this is a serious matter.”
Monopoly at a crossroads
Norsk Tipping is the Norwegian state-owned provider of lottery games, sports betting, and instant games.
Not to be confused with Norsk Rikstoto, currently the only licensed supervisor and operator of Norway’s horse racing scene. Both operators represent the Norwegian gambling monopoly – soon to be the only one left in the Nordics region after Finland opens up in 2027.
Since the start of the year, Norsk Tipping has found itself in a heap of trouble with the regulator over various compliance issues. This is the same for Norsk Rikstoto – with the latest case relating to AML deficiencies.
Because of these failures, and the fact that most of the EU states have a licensed gambling market in place, the future of Norway’s monopoly regime is currently at a crossroads – with both supporters and opponents contributing to a heated debate that has been ongoing for months now.