Kennewick Passes New Ordinance to Remove All Cryptocurrency Kiosks From City

Kennewick City Council moves to ban all Bitcoin ATMs, ordering the removal of existing kiosks within 180 days to protect residents from rampant financial scams.

The Kennewick City Council is set to pass an ordinance that bans new virtual currency kiosks and removes existing ones within 180 days. Commonly called Bitcoin ATMs, they allow users to use cash or debit cards for buying and selling cryptocurrency. People prefer these cryptocurrency kiosks because they allow them to meet their needs quickly, but the same utility that enables users to operate anonymously without revealing their identity creates a situation that allows criminals to execute their scams without detection. The Kennewick Police Department Commander Ryan Kelly explained that the proposed ordinance will force the removal of all existing kiosks within two months after its approval, while preventing the installation of any replacement machines.

Furthermore, Kennewick currently has 16 Bitcoin ATM locations, with most of them located in grocery stores and convenience stores. The Kennewick City Council held a workshop on March 10 to address the problem of rising Bitcoin ATM cases, which resulted in losses totaling $932,771 across 37 incidents. The annual trend of increasing losses has progressed to 2026, which has already recorded four cases that resulted in losses of $132,840.

Moreover, people aged 70-79 experience the greatest financial losses from these scams, while older adults face the highest risk of becoming scam victims. A 60-year-old person lost $140,000 in 2025, and a 78-year-old person lost $100,000 in 2026. According to Commander Kelly, “People 70 and over account for about $425,000 of money that they've been defrauded since 2023”. CIO Bulletin views this move by the Kennewick City Council as making the financial landscape safer for the general public, and the vulnerable audience in particular, notwithstanding apprehensions surrounding the removal of the Bitcoin ATMs.