Circle K’s $12.8M Lottery Dispute Takes Fresh Twist as Second Employee Claims Jackpot

July 02, 2026

The dispute began on November 24, 2025, after a customer at a Circle K in Scottsdale, Az., asked a clerk for $85 worth of $1 tickets for “The Pick,” an Arizona lottery game that invites players to match six numbers with a draw held later that evening.

The customer then realized she only had $60 on her, so 25 tickets were left unpaid for on the counter. One of them would be a $12.8 million winner.

So began a quarrel between Circle K and Robert Gawlitza, an employee at the convenience store who bought the remaining tickets the next morning for $10, according to court filings.

According to court documents, Circle K and Robert Gawlitza, a convenience store clerk who purchased the remaining tickets for $10 the following morning, got into a fight.

Another Worker Takes a Chance

Another Circle K employee, Marline Ybarra, has now entered the debate, claiming that because Gawlitza requested her to sign the back of the winning ticket, she should receive a portion of the jackpot.An updated complaint filed last week included Ybarra as a defendant in the case.

According to court documents, she claims that she was the one who retrieved some of the tickets that had fallen behind the printer.Although Gawlitza and Ybarra have the same attorney, it's not clear from the filing if they've decided to divide the money.

As of right now, Anna Kim, the initial customer who allegedly requested that numbers from previously purchased tickets be run again, is not a party to the dispute and has not stated whether or not she plans to compete for the prize.

After learning of the purchase, Circle K management directed that the winning ticket be kept at the company's headquarters while it sought a judicial decision to identify its legitimate owner.

Who is the ticket's owner?

Circle K contends in its complaint that lottery shops are entitled to keep ownership of tickets that patrons leave unpaid and that are never lawfully sold under the Arizona Administrative Code.

The corporation is requesting that the court decide who is entitled to the $12.8 million jackpot, if the ticket was ever legitimately purchased, and who is the lawful owner.

Whether Gawlitza's post-draw purchase was legitimate or constituted an unethical use of insider knowledge is at question, as well whether the unpaid, printed tickets remained part of the retailer's inventory.

The Arizona Lottery described the circumstance as "completely unique" and decided to postpone its customary 180-day claim deadline, allowing the ownership dispute to continue without the reward expiring.

The case is still pending.