A legal battle has erupted in Arizona over a lottery jackpot worth approximately $12.8 million after a convenience store employee purchased a winning ticket that a customer had left behind without paying.
According to the New York Post and other media outlets on the 24th (local time), convenience store clerk Robert Gaullicha was working on November 24 last year when a customer asked him to reprint numbers for "The Pick" lottery drawing scheduled for that evening.
Court documents filed with the Maricopa County Superior Court show that Gaullicha printed $85 worth of $1 lottery tickets, but the customer paid for only $60 worth and left the remaining 25 tickets at the counter before exiting the store.
The tickets remained at the store until the following morning. Gaullicha then learned that a winning ticket had been sold at his store and, after checking the abandoned tickets, discovered the winner among them. The winning numbers were 3, 13, 14, 15, 19, and 26. After finishing his shift, he removed his uniform and paid another employee $10 to purchase all the remaining tickets.
In a lawsuit filed against Gaullicha and the Arizona Lottery, the convenience store cited Arizona administrative law stating that property rights to unpaid lottery tickets belong to the retailer. Rather than directly claiming ownership, the store filed the suit seeking a court determination, and management has agreed to hold the ticket at headquarters pending the ruling. An Arizona Lottery spokesperson said, "We are not aware of any similar lawsuit."
The jackpot is the fourth-largest in Arizona "The Pick" history and the biggest since 2019. The rightful winner must claim the prize by May 23, which marks 180 days from the drawing date.
According to the Arizona Lottery, retailers in the state receive a 6.5% commission on lottery sales. Businesses that sell a first-prize winning ticket worth $1 million or more in state drawing games, including The Pick, are also eligible for a $10,000 incentive bonus.