ELA Games takes Silver for casino innovation software at SBC Awards

ELA Games won Silver in the Rising Star in Casino Innovation Software category at the SBC Awards on the final night of the SBC Summit in Lisbon on 5 October 2026. The studio said the accolade recognises its work over the past 12 months, with a specific emphasis on slot mechanics and original art design, and it returned to development immediately after the ceremony to prepare its next slate of game releases.

ELA Games wins Silver at the SBC Awards

The company collected the Silver trophy in the Rising Star in Casino Innovation Software category at the SBC Awards ceremony that closed the SBC Summit in Lisbon. The award was presented during the final-night event that capped a week of meetings, panels and exhibition activity at the Lisbon conference. ELA Games described the prize as validation of the studio’s recent creative direction, calling out advances in slot mechanics and a consistent investment in original art design across its releases over the last 12 months.

How the award fit into SBC Summit Lisbon activity

ELA Games used the Lisbon week to meet prospective customers and partners across the exhibition floor. The studio said its team spoke with delegates, operators and potential partners while attending the Summit’s sessions and the exhibition. The SBC Awards ceremony itself served as the final-night showcase for several categories, with ELA Games taking Silver in the Rising Star in Casino Innovation Software bracket.

The company has framed its presence at SBC Summit Lisbon as both commercial and developmental: it pursued conversations about distribution and partnership during the day, then returned to development work after the week-long event to progress its release schedule.

Product focus: slot mechanics and original art design

ELA Games attributed the Silver to two core strands of work over the preceding 12 months. The first strand is a focus on slot mechanics — the internal configurations, maths and feature design that determine how a slot behaves during play. The second strand is original art design: character, animation and visual identity created specifically for the studio’s projects rather than relying on reused assets.

The company emphasised that both elements were developed together, with art and mechanics informing each other during the design process. That combined focus is what ELA Games told attendees and partners it believes made the submission for the Rising Star in Casino Innovation Software category competitive.

Commercial activity and next steps after Lisbon

Following the ceremony, ELA Games confirmed it has resumed development work and is now concentrating on the next round of game releases. The studio said the week in Lisbon enabled business development conversations that could shape distribution and commercial relationships for those upcoming titles. ELA Games did not disclose release dates, partner names or commercial terms in its statement.

The company described the SBC Awards result as a milestone signalling where it wants to position its products in operators’ portfolios. The Lisbon engagement combined exhibition meetings with targeted talks on potential collaborations, and the studio said it will prioritise getting new content back into the pipeline.

What the recognition means for suppliers and operators

For platform suppliers and operators assessing new suppliers, the award highlights an emerging studio that has concentrated on playable mechanics and bespoke visual identity over the last year. The Silver places ELA Games on operators’ radars and may accelerate conversations on integration, distribution and commercial trials during the coming months.

Operators that attended the SBC Summit will have formed direct impressions after speaking with the ELA Games team on the exhibition floor. For vendors and suppliers, the award offers a shorthand signal of product direction — a studio working to pair mechanical innovation with tailored art rather than relying on generic templates.

SBC Awards and the Summit context

The SBC Awards ceremony closed the week of the SBC Summit in Lisbon and recognised firms across multiple casino and sports categories. ELA Games’ Silver in the Rising Star in Casino Innovation Software category came at the final-night ceremony that traditionally gathers the sector’s suppliers, operators and partners.

ELA Games said the Lisbon week gave its staff an opportunity to test messages, gather feedback from delegates and operators, and enter partnership discussions with potential partners on the exhibition floor. The studio then returned to development work with those conversations in mind as it prepared its next slate of games.