David Jacobs of Pembroke won $750,000 playing Jumbo Bucks but plans to spend very little of it on himself. For Jacobs, family comes first.

“I’m a simple man,” said Jacobs. “Little things make me happy. But I love seeing other people happy.”

Jacobs, a drywaller, bought four Jumbo Bucks tickets on Monday from the Hn’M Mart on East 4th Avenue in Red Springs. When he saw one of the $10 tickets won him the top prize, he started calling his family to tell them the news.

“I called my cousin, I called my mama in Arizona,” says Jacobs. “Everybody was shocked. I’m so thankful the Lord blessed me with this. It’s a dream. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Jacobs says helping his family and making sure they have a good life is what he cares about most. His mother, sister and daughter all live in Tucson and he plans to spend most of his prize on them. With the rest of his winnings, he wants to start a drywall company with his cousin, a dream they both share.

“Winning all this money isn’t the big deal,” said Jacobs. “Me being able to have money to help my family – that’s the big deal.”

Jacobs kept his winning ticket in his pocket all night, then claimed his prize at lottery headquarters in Raleigh on Tuesday. After required state and federal tax withholdings, he took home $530,628.

Ticket sales from games like Jumbo Bucks make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $650 million a year for education. For details on how $10.6 million in lottery funds made a difference in Robeson County last year, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.