During a visit to my grandfather’s farm in the Free State, I heard about a drop-board game from neighbors. Later, back in Johannesburg, I searched and found plinko online game. Even under suburban Wi-Fi, the gameplay ran without interruption. I remembered once placing bets on similar carnival machines at Sun City, so I tried a few real wagers. A lucky sequence landed me a payout that balanced my losses from previous weekends, providing enough to visit my family in Cape Town. It felt like a reunion present.