An unemployed home builder could not believe his luck Tuesday, when he won thirty million dollars in the state lottery. This was the biggest winning in over two years.

Stanley Forbes purchased the ticket from a store near his home two weeks ago. He said he had forgotten about the ticket until a friend told him about the huge jackpot. Forbes then remembered the ticket, still in the pocket of a raincoat he had not worn in days.

“When I think how close I came to losing that ticket, it makes my hands shake,” Forbes said. “That would have been the worst luck of my life.”

Forbes’ life was ready for some good luck. He had lost his job building homes over a year ago. He has been supporting his family by collecting bottles and cans for recycling and doing small repair jobs.

The winning ticket was purchased in a Kwik-E Mart near Forbes’ home. The store had never before sold a ticket that brought such a fortune. “Business has gone way up since news got out about that ticket,” said Pat Henning, owner of the store.

The Illinois State Lottery has been operating for thirty-one years. Governor Jim Thompson signed the law that created it in 1975.