An Arizona convenience store employee is at the center of a legal battle over a $12.8 million lottery jackpot after allegedly purchasing a winning ticket that had been left behind by a customer. The complaint alleges that a store employee printed $85 worth of $1 tickets, but the customer paid for only $60, leaving 25 tickets — worth $25 — on the counter. After learning that his store had sold the jackpot-winning ticket, Gawlitza allegedly scanned the abandoned tickets and identified the winner. In its complaint against Gawlitza and the Arizona Lottery, Circle K cited the Arizona Administrative Code, which states that retailers may hold property claims to lottery tickets that a customer refuses to pay for and that go unsold. The company did not explicitly claim ownership of the jackpot but asked the court to determine the rightful owner amid competing claims.
