Circle K moves to stop $12.8 million Arizona jackpot from expiring

A $12.8 million Arizona Lottery jackpot is now at the center of a court fight that could decide whether the prize gets paid at all.

Circle K has asked a judge to stop the winning The Pick ticket from expiring while a lawsuit over ownership plays out. The claim deadline is set for May 23, and the company wants that clock paused before the ticket becomes worthless.

Why the jackpot is tied up

The dispute started after a customer reportedly left behind a ticket at a Circle K store in Scottsdale. That ticket turned out to be the winner of a November 2025 drawing.

Store manager Robert Gawlitza later bought the ticket after clocking out and changing clothes, an unusual detail that has become central to the case. He argues that because he purchased the ticket, the jackpot belongs to him.

Circle K sees it differently. The retailer says Arizona rules treat returned and unsold tickets as store property, which would make the winning ticket theirs if the original sale was never completed in a valid way.

The deadline is now the real pressure point

Arizona winners generally have 180 days from the drawing date to claim prizes. With that window about to close, the legal question is no longer just who owns the ticket. It is also whether the prize can be preserved long enough for a judge to answer that question.

In April, Circle K filed for a temporary restraining order asking the court to prevent the Arizona Lottery from letting the ticket expire before the dispute is resolved. A hearing is scheduled for May 15.

What the court may have to decide

The case appears to turn on a few key issues:

• whether the ticket sale to Gawlitza was valid
• whether the ticket legally reverted to the retailer
• whether the Arizona Lottery can hold the prize past the normal deadline

That combination makes this more than a simple prize claim fight. It is a test of how lottery rules, retailer rights, and claim deadlines interact when a winning ticket is caught in limbo.

Why this Arizona Lottery case matters

Most jackpot stories end with a winner and a payout. This one could end with a major prize stuck in court, or even unclaimed, if no ruling comes in time.

It is also a rare example of a retailer directly battling an employee over a jackpot-winning ticket, with the Arizona Lottery pulled in because it controls whether the prize remains claimable. For players following big state jackpot disputes, this is now one of the most unusual cases in the country.

If you want a broader look at state jackpot deadlines and claim rules, visit our Arizona The Pick game page. For more developing stories like this, keep an eye on our latest lottery news.