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Google Mulling Over Bitcoin While TigerDirect and Others Accept

January 23, 2024         By: Kevin Xu

Google, yes Google, may also be on track to get on the bitcoin gravy train.

Hot off the heels of online retailer Overstock.com accepting the digital currency to buy goods, the search (and everything) giant, Google may have something in the works involving bitcoin.

Jarar Malik, a bitcoin evangelist, contacted the heads of Amazon, Apple, and Google, hoping to learn what their plans were (if any) integrating bitcoin in the future.

Google’s Senior VP, Vic Gundotra wrote back, “We are working in the payments team to figure out how to incorporate bitcoin into our plans.”

When Forbes reached out, the company’s official response was less suggestive of any future bitcoin plans, saying, “While we’re keen to actively engage with Wallet users to help inform and shape the product, there’s no change to our position: we have no current plans regarding Bitcoin.”

So Google isn’t concretely working with bitcoin just yet (or at least willing to admit to it), but some other enterprising businesses are.

In Las Vegas, two hotels are accepting bitcoin as payment for check-ins. They are The Golden Gate and The D, and will accept payments at the front-desk for almost everything except gambling. Since gambling is so tightly regulated and bitcoin is admittedly not, it may take a while for Sin City to open up to the new currency, but this is a promising first step.

In the online retail space, it has been announced that TigerDirect accepts bitcoin. It’s now accepting bitcoin payments through BitPay. It makes sense, since techies are always looking forward towards innovation and early-adopting the next big thing.

TigerDirect, like Overstock, can take advantage of the lower payment processing fees offered by BitPay and the bitcoin payment network in general.

These are all clear signs that businesses large and small are willing to venture into bitcoin acceptance. 2014 may be just the year for that, but there is one caveat – regulators are still mulling over how to best approach managing bitcoin and digital currencies. Their actions in the near future will have drastic effects on this upcoming economy.