It Pays to Give up Smoking, at Least in Bavaria

Perhaps the only way to break a habit is to develop another.

The case of a Bavarian who decided to trade in smoking for gambling certainly beats all those draconian health warnings on cigarette packets as convincing proof that stubbing out has its perks.

For the last three years, he's been trading in the money he used to spend on cigarettes every week for a lottery ticket.

The odds were against this ever proving to be more than just another of those desperate tricks smokers use to persuade themselves to quit, but last Saturday he hit the jackpot, winning 1.17 million euros ($1.8 million) in the Game 77 version of the state lottery and becoming an overnight millionaire.

Self-improvement, a lucrative business

Improved health, and loads of money into the bargain: How hard can giving up be?

The winner said he intended to use some of the money to pay off his house, but apart from that had no fixed plans on what to do with the windfall.

"Going out for a really good meal, that's a must, of course," he told the lottery organizers.

As Germany adjusts to a ban on smoking in public places, his inspirational story might be all the country needs to convince recalcitrant puffers that giving up pays.