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

A complex legal dispute about the ownership of a $12.8 million winning lottery ticket has become even more tangled following the emergence of another claimant to the prize.

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.

Another Employee Tries Her Luck

Now joining the dispute is another Circle K employee, Marline Ybarra, who claims she is entitled to a share of the jackpot because Gawlitza asked her to sign the back of the winning ticket. Ybarra was added as a defendant in the case in an amended complaint filed last week.

She says some of the tickets had fallen behind the printer, and it was she who fished them out, according to court filings.  

Gawlitza and Ybarra share the same lawyer, but it is unclear from the filing whether they have agreed to split the money.

The original customer, Anna Kim, who reportedly asked for numbers from previously purchased tickets to be run again, is currently not a party in the case and has not said whether she intends to fight for the prize.

Circle K management later learned of the purchase and ordered that the winning ticket be secured at the company’s corporate offices while it sought a court ruling to determine its rightful owner.

Who Owns the Ticket?

In its filing, Circle K argues that under the Arizona Administrative Code, lottery retailers retain ownership of tickets that customers leave unpaid and that are never legally sold. The company is asking the court to determine whether the ticket was ever validly purchased, who rightfully owns it, and who is entitled to claim the $12.8 million jackpot.

At issue is whether the unpaid, printed tickets remained part of the retailer’s inventory or whether Gawlitza’s post-draw purchase was valid – or amounted to an improper use of insider knowledge.

The Arizona Lottery agreed to suspend its usual 180-day claim deadline, allowing the ownership dispute to play out without the prize expiring.

The lottery has described the situation as “completely unique.”