Thousands of Norwegians were mistakenly informed they had won large Eurojackpot prizes on Friday, after a coding error by the state-run gambling company Norsk Tipping.

The company explained the mistake was due to an error in the system that converts eurocents to Norwegian kroner. As a result, “several thousand” users saw inflated prize amounts displayed on Norsk Tipping’s website and app.

The incorrect figures were removed on Friday evening, and the corrected results were published the following day. Norsk Tipping stressed that no incorrect payments were issued.

The incident drew sharp criticism from Norway’s gambling regulator and disappointment from hopeful players. Norsk Tipping responded by acknowledging the backlash was “justified.”

On Saturday, CEO Tonje Sagstuen apologised publicly and announced her resignation. “I’ve received many messages from people who had made plans for holidays, apartments, or redecorating before they realised the amount was wrong,” she said. “To them I can only say: I’m sorry.”

Sagstuen, who became CEO in September 2023 and had worked at the company since 2014, stepped down following an emergency meeting between Norsk Tipping’s board and the Ministry of Culture.

Chair of the board Sylvia Brustad said the decision was made in agreement to help the company regain stability. “Tonje herself has chosen to step down from her role as CEO after many months of intense work pressure,” Brustad said. “It is a decision that a unanimous board supports her in.”

While the prize display issue was not considered a technical fault, Norsk Tipping acknowledged a wider history of system issues and announced an internal investigation to prevent future errors.