In a study released Wednesday, May 13, 2015, smokers with $150 of their own money at stake were far mo… NEW YORK – When it comes to offering cash to get smokers to quit, more people go for the carrots than the stick – but the stick gets better results. In a study released Wednesday, smokers with $150 of their own money at stake were far more likely to quit than smokers who didn’t have to wager their money to get the cash rewards.