Arizona Court Handles Unusual $12.8M Lottery Ownership Case

(AsiaGameHub) –   A $12.8 million Arizona Lottery prize is still unclaimed, following a Scottsdale Circle K manager’s purchase of leftover tickets the morning after the winning draw.

Good to Know

• The winning ticket was among 25 tickets that a customer left behind.
• Circle K manager Robert Gawlitza subsequently purchased the remaining tickets for $10.
• A judge might have to take action before the May 23, 2026 deadline to claim the prize.

Judge Has to Determine Who Owns the Ticket

Circle K holds the winning ticket in a corporate safe, which Robert Gawlitza signed. The Arizona Lottery has been drawn into the case, meaning it must abide by the court’s decision. Meanwhile, an unidentified customer left behind the ticket that matched all six numbers in The Pick.

The disagreement started on November 24, 2025, when a customer requested a clerk at a Scottsdale Circle K to reprint lottery numbers. The clerk produced 85 tickets, each costing $1. The customer paid for 60 and left 25 on the counter.

One of those 25 tickets won the fourth-biggest prize in The Pick’s history, with odds of roughly one in seven million.

Gawlitza came in the following morning, found out a jackpot ticket had been printed at his store, located the unsold set, and verified the winner. Per the case details, he then clocked out, changed out of his work uniform, and asked another employee to process the purchase of all 25 tickets for $10.

Circle K dismissed that as a legitimate way to claim the funds. The company filed a case in Maricopa County Superior Court, requesting a judge to rule on whether the ticket belongs to the company, Gawlitza, or another entity.

Arizona’s regulations could favor Circle K. Tickets that are printed but not purchased by customers become the retailer’s property, and retailers compensate the Arizona Lottery for every ticket printed. However, Gawlitza has a receipt and a signed ticket, presenting the court with an unusual question: Is a store manager allowed to become a regular customer after discovering a ticket has already won?

Time is complicating the case. Arizona lottery prizes expire 180 days after the draw date, setting the deadline for May 23, 2026. Circle K has requested the court to suspend this deadline, with a hearing scheduled for May 15.

A Phoenix attorney monitoring the case commented: “This will definitely be a question on the State Bar exam. So law students, watch out—this case is heading your way.”