The First Black Lottery Operator

December 19, 2024

In a city that attracts millions of people worldwide, Emmanuel Bailey’s success story began in Washington, DC. Starting from humble beginnings—he grew up with a single mother and moved from rental unit to rental unit across the city and the Washington metropolitan area for most of his childhood. He saw his hometown stricken with crime and poverty at the height of the drug epidemic, and when he returned from college, his city was considered the murder capital of the country. But despite this adversity, he always worked hard and looked toward a brighter future—an ideal his mother instilled in him since he was a young child.

As Bailey began his journey toward a brighter future, he realized he needed to earn a college degree to be successful. Through this pursuit, he became the first member of his family to attend and graduate college. He enrolled at Eastern Kentucky University, earning a BA in Business Management. While at EKU, he set out to achieve the high standard of success his mother expected of him in all pursuits. After his time at EKU, he earned an Executive MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland.

Emmanuel found success working in the financial sector early. Over the next 25 years, he rose through the ranks, starting as a branch officer at Citizens Bank of Maryland and eventually becoming a vice president at Fannie Mae. These roles provided him with invaluable experience as a savvy businessperson and a leader. After all he accomplished at Fannie Mae, it was time for him to strike out on his own.

Seeing potential in the lottery business, Emmanuel founded an operation services and management firm to run lotteries more efficiently and effectively. Vital Services Contractors (VSC) has management experience in all facets of a state lottery contract, including providing direct oversight and management of lottery agents, retail systems, gaming equipment deployment and maintenance, and oversight of the central gaming system performance. He worked in various roles in state lotteries throughout the country to gain a true institutional knowledge of the ins and outs of this new industry he was entering. Coupling his new knowledge with his business savvy, he set out to win contracts alongside the biggest names in the industry.

The lottery industry is extremely competitive, and contracts are often granted to large national companies. But, as Emmanuel grew his business, bringing in experienced staff and expanding VSC’s capabilities, he began to make a name for himself as a trustworthy and talented operator in the industry. Before long, he was collaborating with the titans in the field and eventually became the only Black business owner operating a state lottery in the entire U.S., in his home “state” of Washington, DC.

But his success did not end there.

Bailey continued honing his expertise, making VSC a multimillion-dollar company with over one hundred employees. He was recognized with the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries’ (NASPL) Powers Award in 2020, which he won based on a nomination from the DC lottery itself. In its nomination, the District of Columbia said that Emmanuel is “far from the stereotypical executive … and ensures that the DC Lottery is operable every day and that our business remains viable for the long-term future.” He is continuing to expand his business, opening a VSC office in Maryland and seeking to expand his geographic reach.

Despite all his success, Emmanuel never forgot about his family and connections to his community. He remains deeply committed to giving back to DC communities. He has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to various local DC-based organizations supporting programs like school sports and arts departments, educational support, and health services. He has also served on and continues to serve on multiple boards of local organizations.

Now, Emmanuel is looking to the future. Always seeking to enhance his business, Emmanuel is working to refine operations and improve the efficiency of the DC Lottery while continuing to give back to the community and create more opportunities for young children growing up in circumstances like his own. While his feet are firmly planted in the DMV, his ambitious and entrepreneurial spirit has his eyes on expansion into additional states. Above all his other accomplishments, he says his proudest achievement was helping his mother retire.

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