Worker sued for buying $12.8M lottery ticket from his store
An Arizona Circle K manager is at the center of a legal dispute after allegedly purchasing a $12.8 million lottery ticket left on the counter overnight, despite the company claiming it should receive the prize.
Robert Gawlitza, an employee at the Scottsdale convenience store, was working on Nov. 24 when a customer asked to replay numbers for “The Pick” drawing that night, according to a complaint filed in Maricopa County Superior Court and reported by 12News.
The complaint, filed Tuesday, states that a worker printed $85 worth of $1 tickets, but the customer only paid $60, leaving 25 tickets on the counter. The tickets reportedly remained untouched throughout the night.
Gawlitza allegedly discovered that his store had sold the jackpot-winning ticket and identified the correct ticket among the abandoned ones. The winning numbers were 3, 13, 14, 15, 19, 26.
According to reports, Gawlitza clocked out, removed his Circle K uniform, and purchased the tickets — including the winning one from another employee — for $10.
Circle K management was notified and instructed that the ticket be held at the corporate office until a judge could determine its rightful owner.
In its complaint against Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery, Circle K cited state regulations giving retailers claims to lottery tickets that go unpaid or unsold. While the store did not assert ownership of the jackpot, it asked the court to resolve the competing claims.
A spokesperson for the Arizona Lottery said they were unaware of any prior cases where a store and an employee disputed a jackpot-winning ticket.
“This is a unique situation, and we are not aware of any prior litigation of this sort involving the Arizona Lottery,” the spokesperson told AZFamily.
The $12.8 million jackpot is the fourth-largest “The Pick” prize sold in Arizona and the largest since 2019. The winner has until May 23, 180 days after the drawing, to claim the prize.
Arizona retailers earn a 6.5% commission on lottery ticket sales, and businesses that sell a jackpot-winning ticket for in-state draw games like “The Pick” are eligible for a $10,000 incentive for top prizes over $1 million.
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