Alex Borso

Creative Technologist, Washington’s Lottery

NASPL Insights Online

Published March 18, 2025

Ongoing and intensifying changes in technology permeate all aspects of our lives. As consumers, we have near-constant interactions with the computer in our pocket, yet we are not the architects of technology. The bits and bytes that drive today’s consumer experiences are translated for us by various experts in the fields of technology, graphics and design. That’s where people like Alex Borso come into the spotlight, tying together all these elements in meaningful ways. His title, Creative Technologist, says it all.

“Alex’s eye for design, and ability to bring ideas to life creatively on our website, makes him an invaluable part of our team,” said Kathi Patnode, the Lottery’s Assistant Director of Marketing. “He is truly top- notch.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Alex joined Washington’s Lottery in 2008 as Graphic Designer Senior, and transitioned to IT Specialist and then Webmaster, and after a few years it was clear these titles were way out of line with the work he was actually doing. “Yes, I’m the webmaster, managing the website, making sure it runs smoothly and making content updates, but even then it was a small percentage of my job.” So in came the title Creative Technologist. Among some of his many priorities these days are working with IT staff and the agency’s vendors to ensure the technical stability and usability of all digital properties; leading the team’s creative activities using those assets, including promotions, marketing and advertising; and developing and maintaining digital standards, policies and processes. As a key player in ensuring that marketing and brand visuals maintain consistent high-quality execution, he’s always on the team with any new projects or new games.

Most recently, he enjoys making the videos that reside on the Lottery’s modern vending machines, sometimes in partnership with an outside vendor. They may focus on current promotions or the lifestyle attributes of games – everything is designed to attract the attention of people in the stores who may not know the fun of playing lottery.

About a decade ago, his work that finds its way into all aspect of the Lottery’s operations was recognized with a new title, Creative Technologist. It fits him well. “My whole goal is to make sure that Washington’s Lottery is making the best use of available technologies to meet customer needs.”

ADVERTISEMENT

He has been watching the rapid development of artificial intelligence and its potential application for design work. “I’ve always got my eye out and thinking about ways to make creative or unexpected use of new technologies, but I haven’t yet found an opportunity to make use of AI in my work. It’s just not there yet.”

Prior to joining Washington’s Lottery, Alex served as marketing graphic designer for The Olympian, a news provider, and before that as marketing director for a commercial real estate company. He also spent almost a decade as a freelance graphics and web designer.

He originally planned to get a fine arts degree, but learned there was money to be made in graphics design so that became his specialty. “I have always liked computers, so I thought that sounded great.” Over the years, he learned web design because it was “one of those sink or swim sort of things. You just had to know it.”

Away from work, he spends a lot of time with his wife Holly and almost 12-year-old daughter Avalon; the couple also have a 20-year-old son named Gryphan. The latter is big into video games, while Avalon is more into the outdoors. She has been taking horseback riding lessons – a passion shared by Alex, who showed horses in his own youth. Next on her agenda is soccer, so the happy parents expect to spend a lot of time at soccer games very soon. “Avalon hasn’t had a chance to actually play any sort of organized sport yet, but I know she’s a great team player. She’s also very outgoing and exuberant.”

When he wants private time, Alex is also an avid reader, particularly fond of sci-fi and fantasy. Reading is a great fit, since it doesn’t require the energy levels of a typical family activity – he was diagnosed with MS about eight years ago. “Despite my illness, I strive to provide the best service and product I can for my customers. I try not to let it define me.”

He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design from Central Washington University.

ADVERTISEMENT

What first brought you to Washington’s Lottery?

The newspaper industry was on its way out in terms of actual print media and I could feel the strain on my supervisor and the business as a whole, so I wanted to find something different. I found the Lottery job posting during my hunt for something new and thought it would be a great opportunity to grow as a creative professional.

In addition to my previous employment, I had been a freelance graphics and web designer. I learned that I didn’t want to work for myself. As a creative professional, it is difficult to feel great about cost when you’re selling yourself and your skills to those who don’t understand what goes into creating a logo, designing a poster or brochure, and especially designing and building a website. That experience helped me get over the cost of business working with our outside vendors, while at the same time it drove me to take on more responsibilities and grow as a creative and technical professional, looking at all the ways I could maximize our budget by learning and doing more.

ADVERTISEMENT

What project or projects stand out in your mind in your years at Washington’s Lottery?

I think the project that really set the tone for my time at the Lottery was taking on every promotional aspect of our Tournament Poker second-chance scratch promotion, where we gave away seats at the table for a poker tournament at one of our local tribal casinos. I did everything – promotional posters, banners and die-cut brochures, acrylic signs pointing the ticket out on vending, and our web and ESMM banners – all of it driving traffic to a custom microsite I created that detailed the offer. It’s hard to believe that this was almost 16 years ago! It really helped craft the position that I have right now because I saw a need for somebody who could connect all those dots with print, web and social media. To tie it all together and meet the customer wherever they are.

Any thoughts about brand identity and the need to refresh the corporate image?

If you find a brand mark that works, you probably don’t necessarily want to mess with the logos very often. You might want to refresh brand colors periodically, although there is value in keeping them constant. Each of our games have their own color scheme, which benefits product recognition beyond just the game logos. For the broader picture, we rebranded ourselves as the Department of Imagination in 2012, and I’m glad that brand stuck – because we truly are limited only by our own imagination.

ADVERTISEMENT

From your perspective, what are today’s greatest challenges for lotteries with respect to digital content?

I’d say one key thing, but it touches a lot of areas. Accessibility has become more than a buzzword in today’s technological landscape. Not only are we expected to deliver our digital content on a plethora of devices (phones, tablets, laptops and desktops), we are expected to deliver it in an equitable way so that everyone, including persons with disabilities, can consume the information we have to share about our business. It’s a challenge, to be sure, meeting everyone’s needs, but I enjoy the opportunity to learn and grow with the changing landscape of what’s possible and expected. There are ever-evolving ways to make websites more accessible and compatible with screen readers, for example, and tools that guide you on the use of color and contrast. A lot of people don’t think about those kinds of things, but it’s important for everyone to get the information they need. My recommendation would be for lotteries to lean into the challenge of accessibility and communication and look for new ways to reach our players. It takes less time to simply do the work than to find a reason why it is too difficult.

Is there anything you wish Washington’s Lottery, or the lottery industry as a whole, could be doing differently?

As a creative and technical professional, I wish the industry as a whole would put more thought into the amount of time and effort it takes to provide a quality product, be it a new game or changing up the way we advertise or play the games. Everyone needs to be fully on board for every game launch and game change, including the technical, gaming, and marketing leaders, whether they are our own staff or from our various vendor partners. We all have to be in the same room so we recognize our interdependencies and keep the projects on schedule.

ADVERTISEMENT

What do you like the most about working at the Lottery? The least? 

I love the people I work with and the ever-evolving culture of equity and respect here at the Lottery. The level of respect afforded me for my creative and technical skills feels good, and my position allows me the opportunity to learn and grow as technology changes in often unexpected ways. Sometimes I enjoy revisiting a technology I tried to adopt too soon. One that stands out is wanting to use QR codes early on as a communication tool, but others didn’t agree back then. Still, I thought they would be a great way to scan tickets for our first app, and we did in fact use them in that limited capacity. Today, QR codes provide a wealth of information about our games, promotions and other info as players interact with lottery and scan them.

The only real complaint I have is about the restrictions on Washington’s Lottery, especially our inability to use electronic devices to offer important conveniences to our players. This has led me to some pretty creative uses for common technology, but there are some things we just aren’t allowed to do, like digital playslips and online second-chance entry. We’ll get there, slowly but surely. We have a great new executive leadership team that has taken on the task of forming legislative relationships that might allow us to move fully into the 21st century. I’m here to offer what support I can.