If you throw all the products we buy and the services we use in one basket, then add up the price tag, that's the Gross Domestic Product, which is the primary metric economists use to assess the economic health of a country or region.

The easy part of calculating GDP is the calculation itself: C+I+G+(X-M)=GDP. Got it? No? Well, add Consumption, Investment by companies, Government purchases, and then take the product of eXports (calling it 'E' would lack sexiness) minus iMports ('I' was taken). Viola! GDP.

Still don't get it? Well, knowing the components helps. Consumption is the biggest component, and it's a tally of the cost of all the goods and services we buy. Investment is what companies spend on the real assets they own, plus the value of the inventory that we haven't gobbled up through consumption. Government purchases are what the Feds pay money for (whether it be highways or fighter jets, though big social programs, like welfare, aren't counted). And then we calculate the difference between the goods and services we¿re sending to other countries and the stuff we're bringing in.

Good. That explains it, except there's a catch. Inflation has a habit of distorting the numbers, so economists talk about either Nominal GDP or Real GDP. In fact, Real GDP isn't necessarily "real" for most folks, since it takes any inflation out. Nominal GDP includes the effects of inflation. (There's something called the implicit price deflator which is a calculation using the two, but we'll spare you the details.)

So, now that we know GDP, why do we want to? Well, it's good to compare different markets. And watching the trend shows whether a given economy is growing (good), stagnating (not so good), or shrinking (very not so good). When GDP goes down two quarters in a row, we're officially in a recession.

For the record, GDP is released at the end of each month, with most reporting ¿preliminary¿ data for the previous month. But you won't get final GDP numbers for the fourth quarter of a year until the very end of the first quarter of the next year. After all, it's not an easy number to calculate.

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Progressive Gaming International to Participate in the Oppenheimer 8th Annual Consumer Growth Conference on Thursday July 10

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LAS VEGAS, Jul 07, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) ----Progressive Gaming International Corporation (Nasdaq: PGIC) announced today that its senior management will meet with institutional investors at the Oppenheimer 8th Annual Consumer Growth and Gaming, Lodging & Leisure Conference being held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts on Thursday, July 10.

Progressive Gaming also announced that it believes it is on schedule to complete its previously announced refinancing of the remaining $30 million of its 11.875% Senior Secured Notes due August 15, 2008.

An electronic copy of the Company's investor presentation will be available for download by visiting, www.progressivegaming.net (select "Company" and then "Investor Relations").

About the Company

Progressive Gaming is a leading supplier of integrated casino and jackpot management system solutions for the gaming industry worldwide. This technology is widely used to enhance casino operations and drive greater revenues for existing products. Progressive Gaming is unique in the industry in offering casino management and progressive systems in a modular yet integrated solution. Products include multiple forms of regulated wagering solutions in wired, wireless and mobile formats. There are Progressive Gaming products in over 1,000 casinos throughout the world. For further information, visit www.progressivegaming.net.

Safe Harbor Statements under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the expected refinancing of the Company's outstanding 11.875% Senior Secured Notes. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, and actual circumstances, events or results may differ materially from those projected in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to differences include, but are not limited to the risk that additional capital for refinancing the Senior Notes and other working capital needs may not be available to the Company on favorable terms, when anticipated, or at all, the risk that markets for the Company's products are not as large as the Company anticipates or that competing products may reduce demand for the Company's products, the risk that the on-going relationship related to the sale of the Company's Table Games Division may not provide anticipated benefits, the risk that the Company may not realize expected annual savings from certain cost reduction initiatives, the risk that regulatory approvals may not be obtained when expected, or at all, the status of rights licensed from content providers, risks related to the Company's ability to enforce and develop its intellectual property rights, including rights licensed from third parties, the risk that patents may exist of which the Company is not aware, or that existing patents may provide benefits to third parties beyond those anticipated by the Company, the Company's ability to meet its capital requirements, relationships with casino operators, the overall industry environment, customer acceptance of the Company's new products, further approvals of regulatory authorities, adverse court rulings, production and/or quality control problems, the denial, suspension or revocation of privileged operating licenses by governmental authorities, competitive pressures and general economic conditions as well as the Company's debt service obligations. For a discussion of these and other factors which may cause actual events or results to differ from those projected, please refer to the Company's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, as well as other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake, and specifically disclaims any obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new circumstances or anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances.

SOURCE: Progressive Gaming International Corporation

Progressive Gaming International Corporation Heather A. Rollo, 702-263-2583 Chief Financial Officer or
   Jaffoni & Collins Incorporated Richard Land, Dave Jacoby 212-835-8500 pgic@jcir.com

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