Next On The Vegas Strip — The Mike Tyson Bitcoin ATM?

Mike Tyson hasn’t made many headlines lately, but a tweet he sent out late last week (July 25) has revealed that the former heavyweight boxing champion is getting into bitcoin by launching a bitcoin ATM.

Yes, Mike Tyson is getting into bitcoin. And he’s doing so in a very flashy manner, starting with his tagline on his site promoting the ATM: “Mike Tyson’s fastest knockout in the ring was 30 seconds. The Mike Tyson bitcoin ATM can turn your cash into bitcoin in under 20 seconds.”

Or, as Tyson phrased it in his tweet:

Coming soon… http://t.co/Blf592VtUW… Changing the way we get change.

— Mike Tyson (@MikeTyson) July 25, 2015

Iron Mike’s ATM, as it’s been coined, is coming to Vegas in August. Currently, the site is not very descriptive about the project, but it does allow people to provide an email address to learn more about the bitcoin ATM when it launches. (It also features a pretty intimidating photo of Tyson in all his glory.)

Of course, for a guy like Tyson, this story didn’t come without its own bit of controversy. Tyson’s name is most commonly associated with the famous boxing match where he was was disqualified for biting off a hunk of Evander Holyfield’s ear in 1997. But even his bitcoin ATM caused some stir.

Following reports about the launch of the bitcoin ATM, there were also reports that the ATM was a scam. While some in the bitcoin community might think having a celebrity’s name behind bitcoin could be good press, others were quick to question the legitimacy of the plan.

Peter Klamka, the owner of the bitcoin ATM and the site associated with it, defended the ATM and the project with Tyson, saying him and Tyson were taking an “even split” on profits. Klamka already has two bitcoin ATMs, but this will be his first project with the retired boxer. The copyright on the site links to Bitcoin Direct, which is a small bitcoin ATM company.

“Nothing happened yet other than we announced the product. We’re not trying to raise any money,” Klamka told CoinDesk in an interview.

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