The Norwegian Lottery and Foundation Authority recently acknowledged that a system technical failure may have resulted in the permanent loss of hundreds of public reports related to illegal gambling. The issue affected the agency's online reporting form used to collect anonymous tips, which has been in place since March 2024 and was not discovered until June 2025.
Director Atle Hamar expressed deep regret over the incident and emphasized the critical importance of public reports to the agency. "This was a serious mistake, and we discovered the problem too late. The public should have confidence that the information they provide is taken seriously and properly received."
The problematic reporting form allowed for anonymous submissions, so users did not receive confirmation after submitting and were unaware if the information was successfully delivered. Although reporters could still contact the authorities via phone or email, the affected online form may have resulted in up to 500 report data being lost without the users' knowledge.
The technical team has now completed system repairs, but due to data privacy policy restrictions, only about 120 pieces of information from the past two months have been successfully recovered, with the rest being irretrievable due to the system's automatic clearing mechanism.
The Norwegian Lottery Authority has announced a comprehensive review of the root cause of the failure and the introduction of stricter technical and data backup mechanisms to prevent similar incidents. Meanwhile, it urges the public, especially those who have submitted tips involving illegal gambling and misuse of funds through the online form, to resubmit their information as soon as possible.
Previously, the authority had also reminded the media to avoid inadvertently broadcasting illegal gambling content during major televised events, such as the Eurovision Song Contest and sports events. This incident undoubtedly highlights the urgent need to strengthen safeguards between technical support and public trust.
