The Curious Case of the $12.8 Million Winning Lottery Ticket

A dispute rages on over who can claim rightful ownership of a $12.8 million winning lottery ticket. Circle K, the store where the ticket was printed, is asking a judge in Arizona to prevent the ticket from expiring later this month, claiming it is the rightful owner of the jackpot.

Back in November last year, a customer visited a Circle K in Scottsdale and asked for $85 worth of tickets for the state lottery’s “The Pick” game. The clerk printed the tickets, but as the customer went to pay, she realized that she only had $60.

As a result, $25 worth of tickets sat in the store overnight when the draw was made. One of those tickets matched all six numbers, making the printed ticket worth $12.8 million.

Store Manager Buys Winning Ticket

The next day, store manager Robert Gawlitza purchased the remaining tickets from a colleague for $10. Before buying the ticket, he allegedly clocked out and changed out of his uniform.

Attorney Josh Kolsrud says this could be damaging for Gawlitza’s claim to the prize. He told 12 News, “Who goes out to their car and changes their clothing to come in to purchase tickets unless you have a plan? 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.”

Circle K management soon became aware of the transaction and ordered that the ticket be secured at the company’s corporate offices until a court determines who legally owns the prize.

Circle K Claims Ownership Under Lottery Rules

Under Arizona lottery rules, tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the draw. In this case, the ticket is set to expire on May 23, but Circle K wants the courts to extend that period.

The store is also claiming rightful ownership over the unpurchased ticket under the state’s lottery regulations.

“Pursuant to A.A.C. R19-3-213(D)(1), if a retailer generates a draw game ticket refused by the player and the retailer does not resell the ticket, the Lottery deems the ticket to be owned by the retailer,” states a lawsuit filed by Circle K against Gawlitza and the lottery.

The ticket is now locked in a safe at Circle K corporate offices. Gawlitza has not yet submitted a response to the lawsuit, but is expected to do so imminently.

Judge Set to Rule on Case

With time running out, Circle K hopes that a judge will first grant a temporary restraining order (TRO) that would prevent the Arizona Lottery from enforcing the May 23 deadline for the ticket. Then, the company wants a judge to rule that it is the rightful owner of the ticket so it can claim the prize.

If Circle K is awarded the jackpot, it is unclear where the money would then go. But it would almost certainly not be given directly to the store manager. The lawsuit notes that Gawlitza is now a “former employee.”

The convenience store chain is owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., a Canadian-based corporation founded by Alain Bouchard. The company does not lack funds. It made a $47 billion bid to acquire Seven & i Holdings, the parent company of 7-Eleven, last year.

Massive Jackpots Go Unclaimed

Massive jackpots have gone unclaimed in the past. In another curious case, a Mega Millions winner in California lost his fight to claim a double jackpot in January.

Faramarz Lahijani claimed he had bought two identical tickets that both won the $395 million jackpot, but lost one. A judge ruled against Lahijani in the case, leaving him to settle for half the prize, a mere $197.5 million.

Approximately $2 billion in lottery prizes go unclaimed in the US each year.