CARLTON says it has plans to ensure Richard Pratt remains president of the club in the event that the Victorian Commission for Gaming Regulation deems him unsuitable to hold a gaming licence.

Two days after the Federal Court ruled that the price-fixing cartel between Pratt's company Visy and its rival Amcor amounted to the most serious case of collusion to come before it in more than three decades, Carlton moved to the defence of its president. In a statement, chief executive Greg Swann vowed to keep Pratt at the helm.

The club would not detail how it intended to engineer Pratt's stay if he was denied a licence, but it is understood that ownership of the 100 gaming machines Carlton operates could be transferred to a new or separate entity to sidestep the problem.

"This is a matter for the Victorian Commission for Gaming that does not require any involvement by the club," Swann said. "However, the board has a contingency plan that will ensure Richard will continue in his role as the president of the Carlton Football Club if the current situation changes."

Board members of clubs or companies that hold gaming licences must be assessed for their suitability by the commission. Pratt's application for a gaming licence is currently being processed and, according to the Gambling Regulation Act, a person seeking a gaming licence must be "of good repute, having regard to character, honesty and integrity".

Pratt, widely acknowledged as Australia's third-richest man with a fortune in excess of $3 billion, agreed to pay a fine of $36 million to settle the case on the eve of its going to trial as part of a mediated settlement with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

Pratt returned to Carlton as president at a time of crisis in February this year and since then the club has been transformed. A loss of $3.2 million last season is expected to be turned into a profit of about $3 million this year.

Swann said this contribution ought to be recognised along with the fact that the collusion Pratt admitted to took place before he assumed the presidency.

"The legal matter is separate to the Carlton Football Club and relates to issues that took place and ended well before Richard was invited to join the Carlton board."

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