BUFFALO — Gov. Kathy Hochul and Seneca Nation of Indians President Rickey L. Armstrong Sr. met Friday in Buffalo and signed an extension of the current gaming compact between New York and the Nation, which expires Dec. 9.

The extension runs through March 31 and will automatically renew unless one of the parties decides not to renew it or a new gaming compact is agreed upon, according to the press statement from Hochul’s office. The terms of the compact are unchanged from before and both sides will be meeting again in the coming weeks to continue negotiations on a long-term compact.

“With the signing of this agreement, there is important momentum for negotiations around the compact,” Hochul said. “I remain committed to working with President Armstrong and the Seneca Nation in finalizing an agreement that is fair to all parties, and I look forward to more conversations in the coming weeks and months as we continue to meet.”

Armstrong said, over the last several weeks, discussions with the state — including face-to-face meetings with Hochul — centered in part on the extension of the current compact, particularly as the Dec. 9 expiration loomed. Just as important, he said, there is an agreement to continue negotiations on a new compact.

“This short-term extension will provide additional time for our governments to complete compact negotiations and to seek all necessary approvals in accordance with Seneca Nation, New York state and federal law,” the Seneca president said. “Under the extension, our three gaming properties will continue to operate without interruption, alleviating any concerns about potential impacts for our thousands of casino employees, which was a priority for the Nation.”

Armstrong said, in his discussions with Hochul, the governor has expressed a desire to reset the relationship between the two governments.

“No issue is of greater importance to the economies of Western New York and the Seneca Nation than a fair compact,” he continued. “Tens of thousands of individuals, families and businesses across Western New York are depending on an agreement that secures the significant jobs, business opportunities and economic benefits the Seneca Nation delivers to the Western New York economy.”

He called the short-term extension an important step, but even more important work remains.

“The Seneca Nation remains committed to negotiating honestly and directly with New York state on a compact that provides a fair and equitable economic and competitive environment for our gaming operations and the many people who depend on them,” he said.

The Senecas operate large casinos in Salamanca, Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

In June, the state and Seneca Nation announced that a preliminary compact agreement had been reached — with one of the provisions reported to be a new Seneca-owned casino in Monroe County. Lawmakers representing the Rochester area cried foul, claiming that a casino had been planned for the city of Rochester and they knew nothing of the Seneca-related plan.

The outcry from the Rochester area put a hold on the tentative agreement between the Senecas and the state.

While the state and Senecas attempt to reach a new agreement, including what percentage of revenues the state will receive from Seneca operations, the complexion of negotiations is different than in 2002, when the first compact was signed. New York state now owns several casinos itself, including two that the Senecas consider to be too close to their territory in Western New York.

State Sen. George Borrello welcomed the agreement, saying the Seneca Nation is a valued neighbor in Western New York and their gaming facilities and resorts are a major economic driver.

“This agreement relieves a measure of uncertainty that has increasingly clouded this issue as the expiration date approached,” he said.

Borrello, R-Chautauqua County, urged the Hochul administration to “use the extension productively rather than as an excuse to kick the can down the road.” He called on the governor and her team to come to the table with a commitment to negotiate an agreement that is fair to all parties.

“That commitment has been lacking in this process up until now,” he said, adding, “the gaming landscape has changed profoundly in the last two decades and any new agreement should reflect that while simultaneously assuring that critical funding to host communities is sustained.”