They Were Told They Won Big Lottery Jackpots—in Error

Thousands of people in Norway were told they won big lottery jackpots—in error. The Norwegian state-owned gambling company that manages delivery of the Eurojackpot—a lottery encompassing numerous European countries—said there was an error in converting euros to Norwegian kroner, which made the announced prize amounts "excessively high." During conversion calculations, figures were "multiplied by 100 instead of divided by 100," CBS News reports. Winners were revealed on Friday, per the BBC. Some were told they had won a million kroner (about $100,000) or more.

A day later, Norsk Tipping updated the totals, revealing the mistake. Minister of Culture and Equality Lubna Jaffery noted "such mistakes should not happen" as the company has the exclusive right to deliver gaming services in Norway, per the BBC. CEO Tonje Sagstuen apologized and resigned. "I am terribly sorry that we have disappointed so many, and I understand that people are angry with us," she said, noting several people had reached out to express their plans for the money. "To them I can only say: Sorry! But I understand that it is a small consolation." As CEO, Sagstuen said it was "my responsibility to handle the errors that have occurred." She had been with the company for more than a decade.