Posted on: May 5, 2026, 08:10h.
Last updated on: May 5, 2026, 08:10h.
Circle K is asking an Arizona judge to prevent a $12.8 million winning lottery ticket from expiring in less than three weeks while a legal dispute over ownership is resolved, according to KPNX 12 News.
A disputed $12.8 million Arizona lottery ticket has sparked a legal battle over ownership. Circle K is asking a court to freeze the ticket before it expires as the case unfolds. (Image: Shutterstock)The company is seeking a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would prevent the Arizona Lottery from enforcing the May 23 deadline for the ticket, which is at the center of an unusual quarrel between the convenience store chain and an employee.
Unpaid Ticket
The confusion began on November 24, 2025, when a customer visited a Circle K in Scottsdale and asked a clerk to print multiple tickets for “The Pick,” a state lottery game in which players try to match six numbers drawn later that night.
The clerk printed $85 worth of $1 tickets, but the customer had only $60, leaving 25 tickets unsold on the counter, according to a lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court. Those tickets remained in the store overnight. One of them turned out to be a winner, worth a $12.8 million jackpot.
The prize is among the largest in the history of The Pick and the biggest in Arizona since 2019.
The next morning, store manager Robert Gawlitza arrived at work, clocked out, removed his uniform, and then bought the leftover tickets, including the winner, from another employee for $10, according to court documents.
Circle K management soon became aware of the transaction and ordered that the ticket be secured at the company’s corporate offices until a court determines who legally owns the prize. The retailer’s complaint names both Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery as defendants.
In its lawsuit, Circle K cited provisions of the Arizona Administrative Code that say retailers retain property claims to lottery tickets that customers leave unpaid and that remain unsold. The company has asked the court to determine whether the ticket was ever validly sold, who lawfully owns it, and who is entitled to the $12.8 million prize.
Insider Knowledge?
At issue is whether the unpaid, printed tickets should be treated as the retailer’s inventory, or whether Gawlitza’s purchase after the draw was valid – or an improper use of insider knowledge.
“Who goes out to their car and changes their clothing to come in to purchase tickets unless you have a plan?” attorney Josh Kolsrud asked 12 News. “If there’s any evidence that he was aware of what was going on, and used that knowledge, that insider knowledge, to buy that ticket, Circle K wins this case.”
A hearing is scheduled for May 15.
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