Fired After 20 Years: Circle K Manager Fights for $12.8 Million Lottery Jackpot

An ex-manager of a Circle K store in Scottsdale, Ariz., embroiled in an ownership dispute with his former employer over a $12.8 million lottery ticket says he was following company policy when he acquired the ticket. 

Robert Gawlitza’s attorney, Josh Kolsrud, told FOX10 Friday that his client’s adherence to the rules got him fired after 20 years of service. According to Kolsrud, the store required employees to purchase any lottery tickets that had been printed but not paid for.

Jackpot Battle

The dispute began on Nov. 24, 2025, when a customer asked a clerk for $85 worth of $1 tickets for The Pick, an Arizona Lottery game in which players try to match six numbers drawn later that evening.

After realizing she only had $60, the customer left 25 of the tickets on the counter without paying for them. One of those abandoned tickets would go on to win a $12.8 million jackpot.

The next morning, to avoid violating lottery regulations that bar vendors from purchasing tickets while at work, Gawlitza clocked out and changed out of uniform before buying the ticket from a store employee for $10.

According to Kolsrud, Gawlitza even contacted his supervisor, a district manager, to confirm he could purchase the tickets before buying them.

“The first thing he does is he decides to split it with [a co-worker]. You know, like that’s not the action of somebody who has nefarious intentions,” Kolsrud said.

Circle K management became aware of the transaction shortly afterward and instructed staff to secure the ticket at the company’s corporate offices until a court determines who is legally entitled to the prize.

Who Owns the Ticket?

In its lawsuit, Circle K cites provisions of the Arizona Administrative Code stating that retailers retain property claims to lottery tickets left unpaid by customers that remain unsold.

The company has asked the court to determine whether the ticket was ever validly sold and who lawfully owns it.

Under Arizona Lottery rules, winners have 180 days to claim prizes before a ticket expires. In a May 15 ruling, Judge Joseph Kreamer of Maricopa County Superior Court extended the May 23 claim deadline by another 180 days pending resolution of the case.

Kreamer said the court was “nowhere near” deciding the legal winner.