Louisiana users will soon have the right to cancel virtual currency kiosk transactions and demand a full refund if the machine’s owner or operator was unlicensed at the time of the transaction. Starting on August 1, Act 482 will allow users to request a refund for any transaction made on or after that date if the operator was not licensed.
Under the new law, the cost of the refund will be the responsibility of the operator. However, not all kiosk payments will be eligible for a refund, as it depends on the operator’s license status at the time of the transaction. The act also upholds Louisiana’s rule that operators must hold a transaction for 72 hours or allow users to cancel within that time frame for a full refund. These provisions will go into effect on August 1.
The process for requesting a refund is outlined in the statute. Operators must acknowledge and respond to cancellation and refund requests within 10 business days. The response must clearly outline the requirements for obtaining a refund. Additionally, operators are required to provide live support through a toll-free number during kiosk operating hours, with the number displayed on the machine and on the transaction receipt.
If a refund request is based on suspected fraud, the operator may require proof of a police or governmental entity report as well as proof of identification. Activities that qualify as suspected fraud under the act include filing a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
A covered refund must be processed within 90 calendar days of the initial request. If additional documentation is required by the operator’s policy and provided by the user at a later date, the deadline for payment may be extended beyond the initial 90-day period.
It is important to note that virtual currency business activity in Louisiana is subject to licensing requirements. Owning, operating, soliciting, marketing, advertising, or facilitating a kiosk in the state falls under the virtual currency business category. As of July 31, there were 36 active virtual currency business licensees in Louisiana.
The implementation of Act 482 comes in response to documented fraud cases involving cryptocurrency kiosks in Louisiana. In 2025, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received 144 complaints from Louisiana residents regarding cryptocurrency kiosks, resulting in $2,874,450 in adjusted losses. It is important to recognize that these complaints may involve other transaction types within the same scams, so the total loss cannot be solely attributed to kiosk transactions.