I can’t recall the first instance I participated in the lottery – I was likely quite young. I’m hopeful. If you don’t try, you can’t succeed, and someone has to hit the jackpot. Why shouldn’t it be me? Winning, to me, symbolizes liberation – quitting my job, being debt-free, and doing exactly what I want.
Residing in Norway, I would purchase a lottery ticket every few weeks. Occasionally, I’d win 100 kroner (£7.50), just enough to cover the ticket cost. It sustained the dream, nonetheless.
In June, I went on a holiday to Greece with my girlfriend. We enjoyed an incredible day and were soaking in the sunset with a glass of wine. Earlier on, we had talked about getting a vacation home there. “I’d need to win the lottery first!” I joked.
Suddenly, my phone vibrated with a text. It was from Norsk Tipping, the Norwegian lottery organization, announcing I had won a substantial amount in the Eurojackpot. I needed to read the message two or three times. My hands began to tremble as I logged into the app and saw a notification stating I had won 1.3m kroner (£97,000).
My heart raced. I felt somewhat dizzy. Finally, the moment I had envisioned had come. I showed my phone to my girlfriend. She gasped. My mind started racing with opportunities. Could I resign from my job as a culinary teacher and travel? Perhaps we could indeed buy a vacation home.
I called my mother and exclaimed: “I’ve won the lottery!” She couldn’t believe it. “It’s about time luck came your way,” she laughed.
After I hung up, I sat and stared at the screen, beginning to feel something was off. I double-checked the winning numbers against mine. I had only matched two main numbers and one bonus number. My stomach sank. There was no chance I could have won such a large sum.
Countless news articles had already started appearing. They reported that the company had erred in converting the prize from euros to Norwegian kroner; instead of splitting the winnings by 100, someone mistakenly multiplied them by 100.
Reality mocked me, and I calculated I’d actually won around £10, along with thousands of others who had been misinformed about their winnings. The company’s CEO stepped down, but with a payout larger than my imagined victory, 3m kr (£225,000), which I found rather ironic.
The disappointment was devastating. The vacations, the plans I envisioned vanished. I had to call my mother and tell her I hadn’t truly won anything. My girlfriend broke down in tears.
The rest of the evening felt very muted. We were both exhausted. You can’t grieve what you never had, but we felt so upset that they could raise people’s hopes in such a way. The following day, I was even more frustrated that no one from Norsk Tipping had reached out to inform us we hadn’t won and to apologize. It took two or three days before we could stop dwelling on what might have been. It dulled the shine of what had been a fantastic holiday.
It wasn’t until Monday morning that I received a message from Norsk Tipping to verify the situation. I’m thankful I was alert enough to realize quickly there was a mistake, because had I believed I won for an entire weekend, I might have already spent substantial money. Receiving the written confirmation felt like being hit all over again.
I haven’t taken it too seriously. Norwegians generally prefer to keep things low-key, so, like me, people just moved forward. I wouldn’t say I’m at the point of seeing the humor in it yet. My friends have all been very empathetic – I’m sure they would have liked me to win as well.
I honestly can’t remember what I spent my actual winnings on. It’s not even sufficient for a glass of champagne here in Norway. It probably contributed to some grocery bills.
The lottery feels tainted for me now; I don’t participate anymore. There’s a saying in Norway: “You’re either fortunate in love or in games.” I must accept that I’m fortunate in love, and that’s my reality. I think my girlfriend would agree we’d much rather it be that way – even if the Greek vacation home has to stay a dream.
As told to Heather Main
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