The Netherlands’ progress toward a regulated online gambling market will not be waylaid by the absence of the chief architect of the country’s Remote Gaming Bill.

Former State Secretary for Security and Justice Fred Teeven resigned last month following a scandal over payments to a convicted drug dealer. But Teeven’s replacement Klaas Dijkhoff (pictured) says it’s full speed ahead for the online gambling legislation and the licensing of “reliable and suitable” operators.

Since assuming his new post last month, Dijkhoff has written a letter to the House of Representatives emphasizing his support for the Remote Gaming Bill, which seeks to modernize the country’s outdated gambling laws.

Last June, the Kansspelautoriteit (Dutch Gaming Authority or KSA) warned online operators to cease their marketing activities ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Some operators complied, while the KSA said others “jumped into the proverbial hole” created by the compliant operators’ absence.