Overview
- The dispute stems from a November ticket for The Pick that matched the Nov. 24, 2025 winning numbers after a customer left 25 unsold tickets at a Scottsdale Circle K.
- Former store manager Robert Gawlitza says he bought the leftover tickets under an alleged unwritten company practice, photographed the winning ticket on Nov. 26, 2025, and agreed to split proceeds 50/50 with a co-worker.
- Gawlitza filed a formal court response this week that includes six affidavits from current and former Circle K employees supporting his account and asks for a jury trial.
- Circle K has the physical ticket and sued in February asking the court to decide ownership while the Arizona Lottery holds the $12.8 million in an interest-bearing account pending the outcome.
- If the court accepts the affidavits and Gawlitza’s claims it could shape how retail chains handle accidentally printed tickets and affect the fired manager’s effort to clear his name and recover pay or reputation.