circle k clerk says he followed store policy in $12.8m lottery ticket dispute
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a former circle k store clerk says he was simply following company policy as he fights for ownership of a winning lottery ticket worth $12.8 million.
circle k filed a complaint in february against longtime employee robert gawlitza, accusing him of trying to claim a winning lottery ticket that a customer left behind at the scottsdale, ariz., store on nov. 24, 2025, according to abc 15, az family and 12 news phoenix.
court documents state the customer bought several tickets for “the pick” lottery game. gawlitza reportedly printed $85 worth of tickets, but the customer only had $60, leaving 25 tickets behind near the cash register, where they were available for anyone to buy, abc 15 reported.
the tickets remained in the store overnight. after the winning numbers were drawn the next day, gawlitza finished his shift and bought the abandoned tickets from another employee, according to the lawsuit.
following circle k’s unwritten store policy
gawlitza’s lawyer, josh kolsrud, argues his client did exactly what employees were expected to do. he told abc 15 there was an unwritten store policy requiring staff to buy accidentally printed, unsold lottery tickets. kolsrud said gawlitza even checked with his supervisor before making the purchase.
“so, 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 abc 15, adding that another employee completed the sale.
“my client, he wanted to do the right thing,” kolsrud said.
circle k only challenged the purchase after realizing ticket was worth millions: lawyer
“they only changed their minds once he said, well, the winning ticket is 12.8 million. and then they said, whoa, hold on for a second. now let’s talk about that,” kolsrud told az family.
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according to az family, gawlitza’s latest court filing includes six affidavits from current and former circle k employees who support his claim that the policy existed.
kolsrud also told abc 15 and 12 news that gawlitza was fired on jan. 30 after 20 years with the company for allegedly violating store policy.
“he loved his job, he would love to go back,” kolsrud said. “he’s not there anymore because he did do the right thing. he tried to follow all the policies, letter for letter, word for word, and he got fired for it.”
who legally owns the winning ticket?
circle k previously told people it is committed to working with the arizona lottery and asked the court to determine who legally owns the ticket.
“that commitment is precisely why we have asked the court how best to proceed under these unique circumstances,” the company said. “it is not accurate to characterize this as a lawsuit against any specific party. it is a declaratory judgment complaint filed to seek clarity from the court to determine rightful ownership of this lottery ticket.”
the company has not responded to the latest filing.
the arizona lottery is still holding the $12.8 million prize, which gawlitza reportedly plans to split with a former co-worker, while the court decides who is legally entitled to the jackpot, wsaw-tv reports.
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