96It must be recalled in this respect that no duty of mutual recognition of authorisations issued by the various Member States can exist in the current state of European Union law (Stoß and Others, paragraph 112). In the absence of harmonisation at European Union level of legislation in the sector of games of chance, and in view of the substantial differences between the objectives pursued and the levels of protection sought by the legislation of the various Member States, the mere fact that an operator lawfully offers services in one Member State, in which it is established and is in principle already subject to statutory conditions and controls on the part of the competent authorities of that State, cannot be regarded as a sufficient assurance that national consumers will be protected against the risks of fraud and crime, in view of the difficulties liable to be encountered in such a context by the authorities of the Member State of establishment in assessing the professional qualities and integrity of operators (Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional and Bwin International, paragraph 69).
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