Arizona worker sued for buying $12.8M lottery ticket from his store after drawing — judge to decide who gets the prize

An Arizona Circle K manager allegedly purchased a $12.8 million lottery ticket that was left on the counter overnight, knowing its historic value — as the company claimed it should receive the prize money.

Robert Gawlitza, an employee at the convenience store in Scottsdale, 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, 12News reported on Friday.

The complaint, filed on Tuesday, alleged that a worker printed out $85 worth of $1 tickets, but the customer had only paid for $60 worth, leaving the remaining 25 tickets on the counter.

The tickets remained in the store, untouched, for the remainder of the night into the next morning.

Gawlitza allegedly learned that his store had sold the jackpot winner and scanned through the abandoned tickets before finding the correct one.

The winning numbers were 3, 13, 14, 15, 19, 26.

The fast-thinking Gawlitza clocked out from his shift, removed his Circle K shirt and purchased the tickets, including the winner from another employee for $10, the outlet reported.

Circle K management was soon notified of the purchase and ordered the ticket to be held in its corporate office until a judge ruled on who owned the $12.8 million ticket.

In its complaint filed against Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery, Circle K cited the Arizona Administrative Code that states retailers hold property claims to lottery tickets that a customer refuses to pay for and go unsold.

The store did not claim ownership of the ticket but called upon the court to decide against the competing claims, according to the suit.

The Arizona Lottery was not aware of any previous situation where a store and an employee had opposing claims to a lottery jackpot.

“This is a unique situation, and we are not aware of any prior litigation of this sort involving the Arizona Lottery,” a lottery spokesperson told AZFamily.

The $12.8 million jackpot was the fourth-largest “The Pick” prize sold in Arizona, and the biggest since 2019.

The rightful owner has until May 23, 180 days after the drawing, to claim the prize.

Arizona retailers earn a 6.5% commission on lottery sales from their stores, according to the Arizona Lottery.

Businesses that sell a jackpot-winning ticket for in-state draw games, including “The Pick,” are eligible for an incentive, with a $10,000 reward for top prizes over $1 million.