Lamassu's Bitcoin ATM Is the Easiest Way to Turn Your Dollars Into Crypto Cash

This is Lamassu's bitcoin ATM machine. It lets you insert money, and receive bitcoin in return. It's a brutally easy way to turn your dollars or yen or just about any other currency into crypto cash.
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Lamassu co-founders Josh Harvey (left) and Zach Harvey, during a demonstration of their Lamassu bitcoin ATM.Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

This is Lamassu's bitcoin ATM machine. It lets you insert money, and receive bitcoin in return. It's a brutally easy way to turn your dollars or yen or just about any other currency into crypto cash.

It works like this: You hit start on the touchscreen, and scan in a QR code from a bitcoin wallet on your phone. The machine confirms your address in screen, and you feed bills in the front side. Seconds later, bitcoin appears in your wallet. It's magical.

The secure lock-box where cash is stored within the ATM.

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

Lamassu says it's sold 130 machines so far to vendors in 25 cities. They're already up and running in Finland, Slovakia, and Australia. Operators can set it up for whatever currency they want -- the bill validator is made by JCM -- and can peg the exchange rate to the service of their choice. (The one we saw was using Bitpay.)

Is it secure? Lamassu showed us quite a few security features. The outer casing is a custom steel case made in Portugal. There's a Protec cylinder lock holding it closed. Inside, there's yet another steel case and another Protec lock. The tablet that runs the software has no open ports, and all outgoing connections are via https.

It costs $5,000, unless you buy ten or more. And yes, they accept bitcoin as payment.

Currently the Lamassu bitcoin ATM uses a Nexus tablet for its display; they plan to replace it with a larger tablet in future iterations.

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED