If your circumstances make it impractical to buy Bitcoin directly (for instance, if you're investing in a retirement account), or you don't want to be bothered with a cryptocurrency trading account, there's another avenue to consider. Shares of Riot Platforms (NASDAQ: RIOT) provide direct exposure to the ebb and flow of crypto, and especially Bitcoin.

Like Bitcoin itself, Riot Platforms stock is prone to bouts of volatility, so it's not appropriate for every investor's portfolio. Yet, after an impressive year-to-date rally, crypto fans might wonder whether it's a good time to purchase a few Riot shares. As usual, the answer is, "It's complicated" -- but if you happen to fit the profile as a prospective Riot Platforms investor, you might have stumbled upon a worthy crypto-centric holding for the rest of 2023.

It's no understatement to say that Riot Platforms has been on a Bitcoin mining spree lately. In April, for example, Riot deployed 94,176 miners to produce 639 Bitcoins, a year-on-year increase of about 26%. In this year's first quarter, Riot Platforms produced 2,115 Bitcoins, which is around 50% more than the 1,405 Bitcoins Riot produced in the year-earlier quarter.

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Source Fool.com