Norsk Tipping to hold compensation draws for 17,000 players after settlement

Norsk Tipping will hold compensation draws for approximately 17,000 players after a settlement in a group lawsuit against the Norwegian state-owned operator was approved.

The settlement is valued at NOK 5m ($508,000), around 1% of the approximately NOK 500m originally sought by the claimants. NOK 4m will be allocated to prizes through four separate NOK 1m compensation awards, while the timing of the draws has not been confirmed.

The lawsuit was filed by law firm Sands in December 2025 after errors were identified in the national supplementary Eurojackpot draw and Lotto's Supertrekning. Around 17,000 players subsequently joined the action, seeking repayment of their stakes during the period affected by the errors.

Players participating through syndicates and pooled betting arrangements had been given higher winning probabilities than intended. Players betting individually consequently received lower probabilities. 

The Norwegian Lottery Authority found that the issue had existed since 2015-16 before being discovered in 2025, affecting millions of players over the period.

The regulator imposed a NOK 46m penalty on Norsk Tipping in September 2025. It said the error had resulted in incorrect winners being selected across Eurojackpot supplementary draws and Lotto super draws over several years.

The case formed part of a wider series of operational issues at Norsk Tipping during 2025. Another Lotto error resulted in 52 incorrect million-prize winners being selected and led to a NOK 25m penalty. Separately, 47,000 Eurojackpot winners received incorrect prize information in June, resulting in a further NOK 10m penalty. 

Norsk Tipping subsequently commissioned KPMG and PwC reviews of its operations and lottery controls. Its 2025 annual report described the year as one of the most challenging in its history and said the operator had strengthened controls and operating procedures following the incidents.

Norsk Tipping Legal Director, Merete Haug Jørstad, said: "Both parties have accepted the settlement."

The settlement comes as Norsk Tipping also faces discussion over its potential combination with Norsk Rikstoto. NBO Secretary General Carl Fredrik Stenstrom has questioned the proposed merger's financial implications for Norwegian horseracing and the process surrounding it.