Enterprise data programmes often struggle to answer a simple question: are we actually getting better?
Ortecha helped Entain establish an objective baseline for data management maturity using the EDM Association’s DCAM® framework, enabling the business to benchmark its capabilities, align teams around a common standard and demonstrate measurable year-on-year improvement. The engagement culminated in Gold Certification through the Data Excellence Program and a DCAM score above both the overall and technology sector benchmarks.
Entain’s growth strategy had successfully expanded the business through the acquisition of major gaming brands. Each brought its own technology, processes and ways of managing data.
As the organisation grew, so did the complexity.
Different parts of the business approached data differently. That made it harder to create consistency, support better decision making and deliver the connected customer experiences expected across a modern digital enterprise.
Leadership recognised that data had become one of the organisation’s most valuable assets. But without a consistent way to measure data management capability, it was difficult to understand where investment was making a difference and where improvement was still needed.
The challenge was not simply improving data management. It was proving that progress was happening.
Entain had already committed to the EDM Association’s Data Excellence Program and had adopted the DCAM framework as the foundation for improving enterprise data management.
As an EDM Association Diamond-level Certified Partner and experienced DCAM practitioner, Ortecha was selected to conduct Entain’s latest DCAM assessment and provide an independent view of the organisation’s progress.
The goal extended beyond scoring maturity. It was about giving leadership an objective, evidence-based view of capability, creating a shared language across the organisation and helping shape the next stage of Entain’s data journey.
DCAM provides a structured framework for assessing how effectively organisations manage data across governance, operating models, technology and culture.
Working alongside Entain’s teams, Ortecha carried out a comprehensive assessment using the DCAM methodology. Rather than relying on opinion, the assessment used evidence to evaluate current capabilities and identify opportunities for improvement.
The framework also allowed Entain to benchmark its performance against organisations participating in the EDM Association programme. As the first sports betting and gaming organisation to adopt DCAM, Entain was assessed against the technology and software sector, providing meaningful external comparison alongside its own internal progress.
Perhaps just as importantly, the assessment established a common language between business, technology and data teams. Everyone was working from the same framework, making conversations about capability, investment and priorities far more consistent.
The latest assessment demonstrated how far Entain had progressed since beginning its DCAM journey in 2023.
Overall capability scores increased by approximately 200%, with some individual components improving by around 400%.
Entain achieved a 2025 DCAM score of 3.64 on the six-point maturity scale, exceeding both the overall benchmark of 3.43 and the technology sector benchmark of 3.59.
The assessment also highlighted wider organisational benefits.
These improvements were recognised through reaching Gold Certification in the EDM Association’s Data Excellence Program.
Data maturity is only valuable if you can measure it.
For organisations operating across multiple business units, brands and technology environments, progress cannot be based on perception alone. Leaders need objective evidence that capability is improving, investment is delivering value and the organisation is moving in the right direction.
By combining an internationally recognised framework with independent assessment, Entain gained more than a certification. It gained a repeatable way to measure progress, benchmark performance and continue building a stronger data management capability.
The main takeaway? Organisations can’t improve what they can’t measure. By giving leadership an objective way to benchmark capability and prove progress over time, DCAM helped Entain turn data management into a measurable business capability.
Entain is one of the world’s leading sports betting and gaming groups, operating multiple well-known brands across highly regulated international markets. Following years of growth through acquisition, the organisation was managing a diverse technology landscape, multiple operating models and increasingly complex data environments.
Founding Partner at Ortecha
Managing Principal & Head of AI Enablement at Ortecha
