Norsk Tipping calls, do I have to buy it back – NRK Vestland

– The odds were equal to zero. But I had a feeling that there was something in the air, says John Egil Svortevik and chuckles.

We rewind a few days – specifically to Friday morning.

Then the 51-year-old stood with a heavy heart in Førde.

The account was empty and had to be topped up. Sunnfjordingen had therefore decided to sell his car to a used car dealer.

Had a good gut feeling

But while he signed the contract with day-to-day manager Geir Thomas Espe at Førde Bilsalg, he had little hope in the form of several lottery tickets at Norsk Tipping.

The day before he had called his bank and said that the account might fill up soon.

That is why he made one demand before he closed the door behind him at the car dealership this Friday:

“If they call from Norsk Tipping tonight, I’ll come back over the weekend and buy the car back.”

– Absolutely fine, replied Espe, who had no problem promising this.

– If I had received NOK 1,000 every time someone said this to me, I would have been a millionaire a long time ago, says the car salesman to NRK.

The company polished and polished the car shiny and nice, and made it ready for sale.

Water 1.5 million

The same evening the phone rang at home in Kvalvika in Eikefjord.

Norsk Tipping was on the display. And then came the news the Sunnfjorden had been hoping for: He had become a millionaire and won big in the lottery game The neighborhood.

He also won several of his other lottery tickets on the game.

– Those who sat at the other end of the phone almost shouted into the receiver when they found out about this, says the Sunnfjorden.

Svortevik had won the first prize of one million, then five second prizes of NOK 100,000 each, and finally four third prizes of NOK 10,000 each.

A total of NOK 1,540,000 in prize money – to Svortevik’s great joy.

– I was told to watch my blood pressure by the person who called, he says and chuckles.

Shortly afterwards, the newly minted millionaire picked up the phone to car dealer Espe and told them what had happened.

– I just had to congratulate him. We have an agreement, and I must keep it, says Espe.

Picking it back up

Now the “grommy van”, as the car dealer calls it, stands shiny and nice in the premises at Førde bilhandel. And actually ready for photography, car advertisement and new owner.

But the winner’s lock for a healthy fjord would be different.

– My colleague was a bit crazy, says Espe.

– First of all, he also wanted to win in betting, and then we had been looking for a car like that for a very long time. But thats how it is.

– Will you retire in the future if customers come and say they want to buy their cars back if they win the Lotto?

– He-he, no, there are relatively small chances of that, so if more people want to sell me a car with that condition, then they should be allowed to do so.

On Tuesday, Svortevik takes the bus to Førde to buy his car again, which he is very happy about. He will shell out around NOK 400,000 for the vehicle.

The rest of the money he won on Friday will be used to pay off the mortgage, as well as for his three sons and some charitable associations to enjoy a few kroner.

It is also part of history that Svortevik has won the Lotto before. It was in 2003, and that time he won 2.1 million.

And he has no plans to give up anytime soon either.

– I can win next Friday too, he says.

Correction: In the first version of this case, NRK wrote that Svortevik had become a Lotto millionaire. This is addressed to “winners of the Nabolaget lottery game”. The change was made on 29/04/2024 at 18:25.