Circle K Seeks to Freeze $12.8M Winning Arizona Lottery Ticket as Deadline Looms
According to KPNX 12 News, Circle K is requesting that an Arizona judge stop a $12.8 million winning lottery ticket from expiring in less than three weeks while a legal issue over ownership is settled.
In the midst of an unusual dispute between the convenience store chain and an employee, the corporation is requesting a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the Arizona Lottery from enforcing the ticket deadline of May 23.
Unpaid Ticket
When a consumer went to a Circle K in Scottsdale on November 24, 2025, and asked a clerk to print many tickets for "The Pick," a state lottery game in which players attempt to match six numbers picked later that evening, the chaos started.
A lawsuit filed in Maricopa County Superior Court claims that the clerk printed $85 worth of $1 tickets, but the purchaser only had $60, leaving 25 tickets unsold on the counter. Overnight, those tickets were still in the store. A $12.8 million jackpot was won by one of them.
The award is the greatest in Arizona since 2019 and one of the biggest in The Pick's history.
According to court filings, store manager Robert Gawlitza returned at work the following morning, clocked out, took off his uniform, and then paid $10 to another employee for the remaining tickets, which included the winner.
Soon after learning of the sale, Circle K management mandated that the ticket be kept at the company's corporate headquarters until a court could decide who was the rightful owner of the prize. Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery are named as defendants in the retailer's case.
Circle K cited Arizona Administrative Code provisions in its case, which provide that shops have property claims to lottery tickets that customers leave unsold and unpaid. The corporation has requested that the court decide who is entitled to the $12.8 million prize, whether the ticket was ever sold legally, and who is the rightful owner.
Insider Information?
Whether Gawlitza's purchase after the draw was legitimate or an improper use of insider knowledge is at question, as well whether the unpaid, printed tickets should be regarded as the retailer's inventory.
“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.”
On May 15, there will be a hearing.
