Legal Battle Erupts Over $12.8 Million Lottery Ticket in Arizona

A legal battle over a $12.8 million lottery ticket has erupted in Arizona, involving a customer, a former store manager, and a Circle K convenience store. The dispute centers around who rightfully owns the winning ticket. On Nov. 24, 2025, customer Soonchun Kim attempted to purchase $85 worth of $1 lottery tickets from the Phoenix store. However, she only had $60 and left the remaining tickets at the store unclaimed.

The next morning, store manager Robert Gawlitza made a big discovery. One of the left behind tickets matched all six numbers in the Arizona Lottery game known as ‘The Pick.’ He clocked out and changed out of his uniform. Then he bought some of the remaining tickets for $10 from the cashier on duty at the time, Marline Ybarra. Court records indicate Gawlitza was given approval from his supervisor before buying, but hadn’t disclosed that one of the tickets was the big winner. He and Ybarra planned to divide the winnings, according to reports.

Circle K terminated Gawlitza, who had worked for the company for 20 years. The company sued in February, attempting to determine who is the rightful owner of the winning ticket. Circle K argues that the Arizona Lottery gives ownership of unsold tickets to retailers. The company contends that Gawlitza wasn’t allowed to buy a winning ticket after the drawing. Attorney Josh Kolsrud filed a response, noting that the leftover tickets were left at the cashier for any customers to purchase. The company allegedly required employees to buy any that went unpurchased. “If you accidentally print them out and they go unsold, it’s the industry practice for the person who prints them out to be responsible to pay for them. If not the person, then the store manager,” Kolsrud told KNXV.