Ole Sveen, a culinary teacher from Oslo, was relaxing with his girlfriend during a summer break in Greece when his mobile phone delivered what appeared to be extraordinary news.
The couple had been enjoying wine while gazing at the sea, joking about how winning the lottery might allow them to purchase a holiday property in the area.
That evening, a notification from Norsk Tipping, Norway's national lottery operator, informed him he had secured approximately £100,000 in the Eurojackpot draw.
"My hands started to shake, I had to read the message two or three times," Ole recalled. "My heart skipped a beat and I felt quite light-headed."
He immediately shared the screen with his partner, and the pair burst into excited laughter, discussing travel plans and the possibility of leaving their jobs.
However, Ole's euphoria proved devastatingly short-lived. As he examined the winning numbers more closely, something felt wrong.
"When I checked the winning numbers they didn't seem at all familiar," he told The Sun. "I realised I'd only matched two main numbers and a bonus number. There's no way I could have won so much money."
A quick internet search revealed the truth: news reports were already emerging about tens of thousands of Norwegians receiving incorrect win notifications.
The promise of a life-changing jackpot was cruelly snatched away
|GETTY
The cause was a simple but catastrophic administrative blunder. When converting prize amounts from Euros to Norwegian Krone, staff had multiplied by 100 rather than dividing.
Ole's actual winnings amounted to roughly £12 – insufficient even for a celebratory bottle of champagne.
Ole was among 47,000 people caught up in the mass notification error, which he described as experiencing "the euphoria of being told they have won the jackpot, but never see any money."
His girlfriend was reduced to tears when the reality became clear. Ole also faced the uncomfortable task of telephoning his mother a second time to retract his earlier announcement.
The Norwegian lottery operating company was handed a fine
|NORSK TIPPING
"Everything felt very flat after that," he said. "My hopes and dreams disappeared in a puff of smoke."
The remainder of their Greek getaway was overshadowed by disappointment. Despite the error dominating Norwegian news coverage, it took three days before Norsk Tipping sent Ole an email officially acknowledging the mistake.
"Getting the confirmation in writing felt just like the first blow all over again," he admitted.
The scandal prompted swift consequences for Norsk Tipping's leadership. Chief executive Tonje Sagstuen stepped down from her position within weeks of the incident, though she departed with a severance package worth NOK 3 million – approximately £225,000, which exceeded the false winnings most affected customers had been told they would receive.
The Norwegian Gaming Authority subsequently launched an investigation and determined the error constituted unlawful conduct, imposing a fine of NOK 10 million on the lottery corporation.
For Ole, the experience has permanently altered his relationship with gambling. "The lottery feels tainted for me now; I don't play anymore, and there are thousands of other people who feel exactly the same," he said.
"Winning the lottery wasn't the dream I was told it would be."