New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the Seneca Nation of Indians President Rickey Armstrong Sr. announced Friday evening a short-term extension of the current Gaming Compact with negotiations continuing on a long-term agreement.

The current compact was set to expire on Dec. 9. However, with the extension agreed upon on Friday, that deadline is now pushed to the day the state budget is due: March 31. Under the short-term extension, the three gaming properties operated by the Seneca Nation can remain open and operating. The current compact will stay in place after March 31 unless a new deal is reached or either party decides to end it. 

In a statement, the Seneca Nation president said that there is “no issue of greater importance to the economies of Western New York and the Seneca Nation than a fair Compact.”

In her own statement, Hochul said the agreement brings “important momentum” to the long-term negotiations.

Until recently, Hochul had recused herself from the Compact negotiations because her husband, Bill Hochul, had worked with Delaware North, a Seneca gaming competitor. The recusal ended after the first gentleman retired as senior vice president and general counsel of Delaware North in mid-August.