The tribes disagreed but said they were willing to negotiate certain components of the compacts, including the amount they pay the state each year in exclusivity fees. Those fees go directly into a designated fund for common education and last year amounted to almost $150 million.

On Dec. 31, the three largest tribes — the Chickasaw, Choctaw and Cherokee — sued Stitt in federal district court, asking it to resolve the dispute over the compacts’ expiration and to order Stitt to stop interfering in their business.

Two other tribes, the Citizen Potawatomi and the Muscogee (Creek), have since asked to join the lawsuit.

In his response, Stitt asked the court to close Class III gaming at the state’s 131 tribal casinos.

The situation has raised the question of what happens to the exclusivity fees in the meantime. The tribes say they’re still paying them. Monday, Stitt said he’s asking the Legislature to set aside carryover funds to cover any disruption.

Stitt was not specific Monday in his demands of the tribes but in the past has called for everything from drastically higher exclusivity fees to oversight of the tribes’ agreements with vendors.