Dive Brief:

• Major electronics e-retailer TigerDirect.com said Thursday that it will accept bitcoin payments, joining Overstock.com and many smaller retailers.

• The Fountainbleau, Fla., company also said it will sell “mining rigs” — hardware that allows minting of new bitcoins.

• TigerDirect.com has partnered with BitPay to handle these transactions, the company said.

Dive Insight:

The announcement by TigerDirect.com is seen as adding further legitimacy to the alternative payment method, though it remains to be seen how the currency is affected by greater use and further minting by users. In any case, the crypto-currency is gaining currency, at least in the short term, as more retailers come on board.