Arizona Store Clerk Sued After Allegedly Buying $12.8M Winning Lottery Ticket From His Own Shop
A Circle K store manager in Arizona is at the center of a legal battle over a $12.8 million lottery ticket that he allegedly purchased after determining it was a jackpot winner, according to a lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court.
Circle K Stores has asked the court to decide who legally owns the ticket, which represents one of the largest lottery prizes in Arizona history. According to the complaint, a customer visited a Circle K located at 5601 E. Bell Road in Scottsdale on Nov. 24, 2025.
The customer requested that an employee replay previously used lottery numbers for that evening’s drawing of The Pick, an Arizona Lottery game. The employee printed $85 worth of tickets. However, the customer paid only $60 and left the remaining tickets behind, told AZFamily.
Later that night, the Arizona Lottery announced the winning numbers. One of the unclaimed tickets left at the store matched all six numbers, making it worth $12.8 million. The Arizona Lottery described it as the fourth-largest prize in the history of The Pick and the largest jackpot won in the state since 2019.
The following morning, store manager Robert Gawlitza reported for his shift and learned that a winning ticket had been sold at the location, court documents state. He located the leftover tickets and confirmed that one of them was the jackpot winner.
According to the lawsuit, Gawlitza then clocked out of his shift, removed his Circle K uniform, and purchased the remaining tickets, including the winning one, from another employee for $10. He signed the back of the ticket. Circle K management later became aware of the situation and instructed that the ticket be secured at the company’s corporate offices, where it remains.
The company is now suing Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery, seeking a court order determining who is entitled to claim the ticket and its proceeds. Under the Arizona Administrative Code, if a retailer generates a lottery ticket that is refused by a customer and not resold, the ticket is considered the retailer’s property. Circle K referenced that regulation in its filing but did not explicitly assert ownership.
Instead, it is seeking a judicial ruling to resolve any competing claims. The ticket must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing, with the deadline set for May 23, 2026. Gawlitza could not be reached for comment, and Circle K did not respond to requests for further statement.
READ NEXT
- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s Ongoing Troubles Escalate After Photo Display at Louvre
- Arizona Store Clerk Sued After Allegedly Buying $12.8M Winning Lottery Ticket From His Own Shop
- Christie Brinkley hits Trump hard, Claims he’s ‘Doing a Good Job of Destroying the Country’
- Abandoned Las Vegas airport Dog finds a forever Home with the Officer who saved him
- Social media influencer arrested accused of trying to kill husband by drugging his wine