Robot Deals Tone-Deaf Hand of Blackjack in Las Vegas

Posted on: January 7, 2026, 06:41h. 

Last updated on: January 7, 2026, 06:44h.

Sharpa evoked the awe it intended to at the CES convention this week with its card-dealing robot, North. But the smiling techies who surrounded the Singapore robotics company’s blackjack table weren’t the only ones with a reaction.

Once videos of the session made the social media rounds, the comments were split mostly between anger about the thousands of real human beings with mortgages that Sharpa is attempting to displace at the casino tables, and mockery over how painfully slow North currently moves.

North is a full‑body humanoid robot built by the Singapore‑based startup. Its hands — branded “Wave” — contain thousands of tactile sensors per fingertip and can detect force changes as small as 0.005 newtons, according to Sharpa’s CES briefing.

At CES, North demonstrated its human-like dexterity by mastering both ping-pong and building a paper windmill. But it was his blackjack shows that stole the entire convention. CES attendees were able to play a fake hand at the Sharpa’s Autonomous Blackjack table, interacting with North and watching it make decisions in real time.

Sharpa’s global VP, Alicia Veneziani, framed the blackjack demo as a nod to CES’ host city: “We’re in Vegas, so we wanted something that resonates with the mood of CES,” she told DRM News.

Aces High, Awareness Low

What Sharpa apparently didn’t consider was how tone-deaf it was to showcase automated blackjack in a city where 5,000-6,000 people depend on the human-dealt version to pay their rent or mortgage.

The optics are especially bad considering that the the company’s own website describes North’s purpose as “freeing people from repetitive work and giving them back time for higher-value pursuits.”

So casino dealing is “lower‑value”?

Instagram users didn’t hold back:

• @kaniekastroll: “Every casino dealer should UNIONIZE NOW… AI is a job‑killer in all industries!”
• @ericchine: “STOP trying to eliminate human interaction and taking people’s jobs just to save a dollar.”
• @skywalker7778: “Why would humans build machines that replace themselves? World gone mad.”

Others focused on North’s glacial pace:

• @joeystonks: “Casinos want speed. This robot needs a Red Bull.”
• @chillguygus: “Looks like my job is safe.”

And then came the bleakest — and probably most accurate — take:

• @heffa47: “By the time the robot is ready there won’t be any hand‑dealt games in the casino.”