Michael Simmons of Roseboro said he plans to use his $200,000 lottery prize to market a product he invented that helps people cut back on smoking.
“This is a dream come true,” Simmons said. “The Smokers Quick Out helps people control what they smoke. It’s already available in three countries, and now I can do what it takes so it will be available worldwide.”
The inventor’s good luck happened on his way home from a pool game when he stopped to get gas at the Circle K on Cedar Creek Road in Fayetteville. While there, he bought a $500 Loaded scratch-off ticket.
“I saw the ‘16’ and ‘16’ and knew I won something,” Simmons said. “I thought maybe I’d won $5 or $10. When I saw the four zeroes I went weak in the knees.”
Simmons claimed his prize Monday at lottery headquarters in Raleigh. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $141,501.
“Winning this means so much,” Simmons said when he got his check. “It’s made my day.”
Ticket sales from games like $500 Loaded make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds have made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.
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