DNV has certified Norsk Tipping AS and signed a contract with the World Lottery Association (WLA), which represents 143 state-owned lottery companies in 74 countries. These lotteries have annual revenues of more than NOK 700 billion. Norsk Tipping accounts for NOK 10 billion of this, and has already met the requirements. The certificate will be awarded at the lottery companies' world forum in Granada, Spain.
DNV is one of the world's leading certification companies, with certification service sales of almost NOK 2 billion – a third of DNV's total sales – in 300 offices in 100 countries.
Security consciousness is most important
The certification of the lottery companies is based on random sampling of the security involved in all the different phases of a lottery, such as the design, development, marketing, sales, operations and support services, which must comply with the standard's requirements.
The auditing team examines whether the management and employees of the lottery company are security conscious and whether they comply with the fixed routines for meeting the standard's requirements. The audit also includes physical security, IT and the monitoring of the lottery draw.
Norsk Tipping the driving force
Reidar Nordby jr, the CEO of Norsk Tipping and president of the World Lottery Association (WLA), and Morten Schjelderup, the vice president of security in Norsk Tipping and head of the WLA's security committee, have been the driving forces in favour of hiring independent international certification bodies to inspect the lottery companies.
"For us, it has been important to establish a system of ethical norms and certified standards that strengthen the seriousness and credibility of the state-owned lottery companies," says Reidar Nordby jr. The WLA has developed its own standard – the WLA Security Control Standard – which is tailor-made for lottery operations. "By being certified, we undertake to comply with the standard, which improves the quality and efficiency of our security work. If we breach this undertaking, we also lose the certificate," states Nordby.
The lottery companies and DNV in partnership
"Choosing to certify ourselves is in line with both national and international standards and trends," says vice president for security Morten Schjelderup. He emphasises that one of the important aims of the contract is to develop a partnership in which both the WLA and DNV work to improve the lottery companies' security and risk awareness.
"It's extremely important for lotteries to be trusted by customers, owners, the Gaming Board and business partners, such as Viking Lotto and others," says Morten Schjelderup. "DNV's international reputation, experience and expertise as an independent and impartial certification body mean that we have a monitoring body which everyone can trust."
Service level and distinctive character
"For us, the most important things are the service level and the ability to understand the lottery companies' distinctive characteristics," says DNV's regional manager for certification services in the Nordic and Baltic regions and Russia, Torger Baardseth. "In our network of 1,800 experts, we will use employees with special knowledge of lottery companies in particular and service companies in general," he says. He estimates the contract to be worth NOK 8-10 million over a three-year period.
The contract between the WLA and DNV was signed on 2 October. DNV has also been invited to give a presentation at the lottery companies' world forum in Granada next week, at which the certificate will be formally awarded to Norsk Tipping.
Good marks for Norsk Tipping
While reviewing Norsk Tipping, DNV's audit team found that
- The company has a good security culture. Both managers and employees are very security conscious
- The lotteries are produced in a satisfactory manner so that the players can have confidence in them
- The IT production takes place in accordance with good routines and in a satisfactory manner
- The company's personnel routines are good and may therefore be able to prevent breaches of security
- The security department is skilled and focused
For more information, please contact:
Norsk Tipping AS:
Vice President of Security Morten Schjelderup, tel: +47 62 51 40 00, mobile: +47 900 30 339DNV:
Regional Manager for DNV Certification in the Nordic and Baltic Regions and Russia, Torger Baardseth, tel: +47 67 57 74 85, mobile: +47 913 61 554