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A dispute over a $12.8million lottery jackpot has escalated into an unlikely HR issue and legal action, after a Circle K store manager in Arizona allegedly purchased a winning ticket left unpaid by a customer.
According to a complaint filed Tuesday in Maricopa County Superior Court, Robert Gawlitza was working at a Scottsdale Circle K when a customer asked to replay numbers for “The Pick” drawing that evening. A store employee printed $85 worth of $1 tickets, although the customer paid for only $60, leaving 25 tickets on the counter.
The tickets remained in the store overnight and into the next morning. The complaint alleges that Gawlitza learned the store had sold the jackpot winner, scanned the abandoned tickets and identified the correct one.
He then clocked out, removed his Circle K shirt and purchased the remaining tickets, including the winning ticket, from another employee for $10, according to reports.
Competing claims to jackpot
Circle K management was notified of the purchase and directed that the ticket be secured at its corporate office until a judge determines ownership of the $12.8million prize.
In its complaint against Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery, Circle K cited the Arizona Administrative Code, which states that retailers hold property claims to lottery tickets that a customer refuses to pay for and that remain unsold. The company did not claim ownership of the ticket but asked the court to resolve the competing claims.
The Arizona Lottery said it was unaware of any prior case in which a store and an employee asserted opposing claims to a jackpot.
“This is a unique situation, and we are not aware of any prior litigation of this sort involving the Arizona Lottery,” a spokesperson said.
Incentives and compliance questions
The $12.8million jackpot represents the fourth-largest “The Pick” prize sold in Arizona and the largest since 2019. The rightful owner has 180 days from the drawing, until May 23, to claim the prize.
Retailers in Arizona receive a 6.5% commission on lottery sales generated at their stores. Businesses that sell a jackpot-winning ticket for in-state draw games, including “The Pick,” are eligible for an incentive payment of $10,000 for top prizes exceeding $1million.
A court ruling will determine whether the unpaid ticket belonged to the store under state administrative rules or to the employee who purchased it after the drawing.
