The Norwegian regulator Lotteritilsynet is investigating the activities of the state betting operator Norsk Rikstoto following two significant system failures on its online platform, which operates on BetMakers. These incidents allowed customers to place bets without any funds being deducted from their accounts.
The Norwegian racing publication Trav- og Galopp-Nytt (TGN) reported that between February 3 and 5, a total of 5,158 customers placed 23,716 bets without any money being withdrawn, leading to estimated losses for the operator ranging from €100,000 to €200,000.
The second system failure occurred on March 25 during a technical upgrade of the operator's systems. According to a statement from Norsk Rikstoto to TGN, the system technically reserved the amounts for the bets but returned them to customers' accounts instead of deducting them.
In response to the first incident, the operator chose not to deduct funds from customers for the accepted bets to avoid exceeding the self-imposed limits on responsible gambling. However, for the second incident, the operator only notified the regulator on April 15, which was beyond the mandatory 72-hour reporting window. Three weeks after the failure, the operator still deducted the funds from customer accounts.
Under Norwegian law, free bets and credit betting are prohibited. Consequently, the regulator sent a letter to the operator on April 20 to determine whether the unaccounted bets affected the prize pool for other participants.