Key points:
- Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen has stepped down
- This decision comes following a scandal last week that saw thousands incorrectly notified of winnings
- Both the operator's Board and the Minister of Culture have expressed regret pertaining to the error
Norsk Tipping CEO Tonje Sagstuen has tendered her official resignation following last week’s lottery-related scandal, with the company’s Board expressing unanimous support for her decision.
Indeed, Sagstuen’s decision falls in the wake of an error that saw thousands of Norwegian players incorrectly notified by Norsk Tipping of large-scale winnings in the Eurojackpot. The mistake, which caused the stated premium amount to be 10,000 times too high, has been named as a human error that directly affected over 41,000 Norwegians, 16,000 of which received push notifications via their phones.
Subsequently, after 11 years with the company, Sugstuen – who stepped in as CEO in September 2023 – has accepted full responsibility for the error and will now step down from her position.
Speaking on these developments, Sugstuen said: “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.”
Also speaking on Sugstuen’s departure, Norsk Tipping Chairman of the Board, Sylvia Brustad, said: “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.”
Continuing, Brustad also sought to address the scandal, stating: “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, and we are hardly involved in development at all.”
Good to know: Norsk Tipping is owned by the Norwegian Government and administered by the nation’s Ministry of Culture
Also commenting on the scandal, Norway’s Minister of Culture, Lubna Jaffery, said: “We take note of Tonje Sagstuen's departure. As I have said, 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.”
2025 has, so far, been something of a turbulent year for Norsk Tipping, which began the year by introducing lowered loss limits for younger players and have, more recently, been subject to investigation by the Norwegian Lottery Authority following reports of children players at the organisation’s casinos.
