(AsiaGameHub) – A heated dispute continues over who holds the legitimate claim to a $12.8 million winning lottery ticket. Circle K—the store that printed the ticket—is petitioning an Arizona judge to stop the ticket from expiring later this month, asserting it is the rightful owner of the jackpot.
Last November, a customer stopped by a Circle K in Scottsdale and requested $85 in tickets for the state lottery’s “The Pick” game. The clerk printed the tickets, but when the customer tried to pay, she found she only had $60.
As a consequence, $25 worth of tickets remained in the store overnight when the drawing took place. One of those tickets matched all six numbers, turning it into a $12.8 million winner.
Store Manager Buys Winning Ticket
The following day, store manager Robert Gawlitza bought the leftover tickets from a coworker for $10. It’s alleged that before making the purchase, he clocked out and changed out of his work uniform.
Attorney Josh Kolsrud notes this could harm Gawlitza’s claim to the prize. He told 12 News: “Who would go out to their car, change clothes, and then come back in to buy tickets unless they had a plan? If there’s any proof that he knew what was happening and used that inside information to purchase the ticket, Circle K will win this case.”
Circle K management quickly learned about the transaction and ordered the ticket to be stored securely at the company’s corporate offices until a court decides who is the legal owner of the prize.
Circle K Claims Ownership Under Lottery Rules
Per Arizona lottery regulations, tickets must be claimed within 180 days of the drawing. This ticket is scheduled to expire on May 23, but Circle K is asking the courts to extend that deadline.
The store is also asserting its rightful ownership of the unclaimed ticket based on state lottery rules.
A lawsuit filed by Circle K against Gawlitza and the lottery states: “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.”
The ticket is currently locked in a safe at Circle K’s corporate offices. Gawlitza hasn’t yet responded to the lawsuit, but is expected to do so very soon.
Judge Set to Rule on Case
As the deadline approaches, Circle K is hoping a judge will first issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the Arizona Lottery from enforcing the May 23 expiration date for the ticket. After that, the company wants the judge to rule that it is the rightful owner so it can claim the prize.
If Circle K wins the jackpot, it’s unclear where the funds would end up. However, it’s almost certain the money won’t go directly to the store manager—the lawsuit mentions Gawlitza is now a “former employee.”
The convenience store chain is owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., a Canadian corporation founded by Alain Bouchard. The company isn’t short on funds—last year, it made a $47 billion bid to acquire Seven & i Holdings, the parent company of 7-Eleven.
Massive Jackpots Go Unclaimed
Large jackpots have gone unclaimed before. In another unusual case, a Mega Millions winner in California lost his legal battle to claim a double jackpot this past January.
Faramarz Lahijani said he’d purchased two identical tickets that both won the $395 million jackpot, but he lost one. A judge ruled against Lahijani, so he had to settle for half the prize—just $197.5 million.
Around $2 billion in lottery prizes go unclaimed in the U.S. every year.
This article is provided by a third-party. AsiaGameHub (https://asiagamehub.com/) makes no warranties regarding its content.
AsiaGameHub delivers targeted distribution for iGaming, Casino, and eSports, connecting 3,000+ premium Asian media outlets and 80,000+ specialized influencers across ASEAN.