The GREaT Foundation is calling on gambling operations in the UK to help it meet its fundraising target of £5m before its deadline in seven weeks' time.

With its fundraising year set to come to a close shortly, the foundation's 2011/12 total currently stands at £4.7m.

Marc Etches, chief executive of the Responsible Gambling Trust - an organisation to be created with the merging of the GREaT Foundation and the Responsible Gambling Fund in April - said reaching the £5m target will lead to a "smooth transition".

"We are extremely grateful to each of the 600 companies that have so far supported GREaT this year," he said. "However, with over 3,000 organisations licensed by the Gambling Commission, we are hoping to see a significant increase in our number of donors over the next few weeks as more organisations elect to support The GREaT Foundation as a means of complying with the Gambling Commission's mandatory code of practice (2.1), which relates to contributing to all three aspects of problem gambling, namely research, education and treatment."