Happy birthday, Johannesburg! The fourth of October 2026 was the city's 140th birthday, counted from a proclamation by President Paul Kruger in 1886. That's a lot of candles for a city that grew out of diggers' camps on the Witwatersrand, and the party is a crowded one, since Rosebank turns 130 and the Market Theatre turns 50 in 2026 as well. We'd happily bake all three cakes ourselves, and we'd make Joburg's cake the biggest by far!
Here at Springbok Casino, we're raising a glass to Jozi, and to the diggers who pegged the first claims on its gold reef. Who found that gold in the first place, and why did one of the finders sell his share for a handful of pounds? It's a story with a proclamation, a prospecting contract and three men called George in it… and it ends with a claim of your own – our online casino welcome bonus. Grab your hard hat and your torch, Bokke!
The Day Johannesburg Was Born… Thanks to Kruger's Proclamation
Johannesburg's birthday is celebrated on 4 October because that's the date in 1886 on which President Kruger proclaimed the government ground Rantjeslaagte and the farm Langlaagte on the Witwatersrand as public diggings. The officials handling the new goldfields were Johann Rissik, the Acting Surveyor General, and Christiaan Joubert, head of the Mines Department. There was paperwork to fill in, even in a gold rush!
Why that date, when the goldfields were proclaimed farm by farm over several weeks? According to the Heritage Portal, 4 October is the generally accepted birthday, because the proclamation of that day covered Rantjeslaagte, the government ground chosen for the new town. The diggers at Ferreira's Camp, a settlement nearby, objected to that choice, but the town was laid out on Rantjeslaagte regardless. The proclamations were issued in this order:
- On 8 September, Kruger issued his first proclamation, and it was repeated on 15 September.
- On 20 September, the farms Driefontein and Elandsfontein were proclaimed public diggings.
- On 27 September, Southern Doornfontein and Turffontein were proclaimed public diggings too.
- On 4 October, Rantjeslaagte and Langlaagte were proclaimed public diggings, the date of Joburg's birthday.
A day later, on 5 October, the surveying tender of Josias Eduard de Villiers was accepted, and the first stands in the new town were sold at public auction on 8 December. Open veld became a town with stands under the hammer in about four months – Joburg's very first property boom! We'd call that a typical Joburg pace, and we mean it as a compliment. All of it began, though, with a discovery made on Langlaagte that February…
Who Found Joburg's Gold? Meet the Georges of Langlaagte
Joburg's gold was found by a man named George… or by one of three, depending on whose account you trust. George Walker, George Harrison and George Honeyball all worked as labourers on neighbouring farms, and the widow Petronella Oosthuizen owned the part of Langlaagte known as Block D. What they found was banket, the gold-bearing pebble conglomerate of the Main Reef, and that find on Langlaagte led to the founding of Johannesburg.
On 12 April 1886, Walker and Harrison signed a written prospecting contract with Gerhardus Cornelius Oosthuizen, who owned Block C of Langlaagte. Harrison, an Australian prospector, later claimed full credit for the discovery in an affidavit dated 12 October, while Walker always maintained that the find was his. Which George deserves the glory? We'll leave that rol to the historians, but here's how each one is remembered:
- George Walker said he found banket in February 1886, while he was visiting George Harrison at Langlaagte.
- George Harrison was named the discoverer, and he sold his discoverer's rights for just £10 soon afterwards.
- George Honeyball's account places Walker's find on a Sunday morning, 7 February 1886.
That £10 sale must rank as the costliest bit of impatience in Joburg's history! Harrison disappeared from the record soon afterwards, but George Harrison Park now covers claims 19 and 21, which were granted to Harrison and Walker. The park was declared a National Monument in 1944 and is a Provincial Heritage Site today. Two original mine shafts are still on the site, and the 10-stamp battery that once crushed ore there is displayed on Main Street.
Peg Your Claim with Our Online Casino Welcome Bonus!
Our online casino welcome bonus is spread across your first three deposits, and together the three coupons are worth up to R11,500 in bonus rand. With SPRINGBOK100, your first deposit is matched 100% up to R1,500, and with SPRINGBOK50, your second and third deposits are each matched 50% up to R5,000. The first coupon is used once, and the second is used twice – once on each of those two deposits. This is how the two compare:
|
Feature |
SPRINGBOK100 |
SPRINGBOK50 |
|
Deposit |
First deposit |
Second and third deposits |
|
Match |
100% |
50% |
|
Minimum deposit |
R25 |
R25 |
|
Maximum bonus |
R1,500 |
R5,000 each time |
|
Wagering |
30x deposit plus bonus |
30x deposit plus bonus |
How much would you deposit to collect all R11,500 of our online casino welcome bonus? A first deposit of R1,500 is matched with R1,500, and deposits of R10,000 the second and third times are matched with R5,000 each. That's R21,500 in deposits for R11,500 in bonus rand across all three – more than R5 in bonus rand for every R10 you deposit! Every deposit from R25 is matched at the same rate, so a smaller claim is just as welcome.
The wagering on our online casino welcome bonus is 30 times your deposit plus the bonus, and every bet in an eligible game is added to that total. On a R100 first deposit, for example, you'd play with R200, and R6,000 is wagered before a withdrawal. That's the same rule on all three coupons, so the sums are simple enough to work out on your phone's calculator. Here at Springbok Casino, we like you to know the figure before you redeem!
Time to Dig In? Redeem Your Welcome Coupons in Our Cashier
Every deposit and every bonus at Springbok Casino is in rand, and the R25 minimum on our welcome coupons is the same as the lowest deposit in our cashier. With Lightning Bitcoin, you can deposit from R25, and with BetterEFT from R35, straight from your bank account. You can redeem on your phone or your computer, since our casino is instant play in your browser. This is how you peg your first claim with our online casino welcome bonus:
- Open the cashier and make a deposit of at least R25, using Lightning Bitcoin, BetterEFT or another method.
- Go to the Redeem Coupon section of the cashier and enter SPRINGBOK100 for your first deposit.
- Play the eligible games: all slots, Real-Series Video Slots included, plus Keno, Bingo, Scratch Cards and 7 Stud Poker.
- Wager 30 times your deposit plus bonus in those games before you request a withdrawal.
- Redeem SPRINGBOK50 on your second deposit, and again on your third, in the Redeem Coupon section.
That eligible list is a lekker generous one, with every slot in our Springbok Casino lobby on it. Keep your play to those games until the wagering on our online casino welcome bonus is complete, and your bonus rand is safe for the whole playthrough. European Roulette and our blackjack tables are sommer best saved for afterwards, when your balance is your own again – the wheel will still be spinning when you get there!
You also collect comp points throughout, since every account is enrolled automatically at registration. We award one comp point for every R10 wagered, so you'd collect 600 points over the R6,000 playthrough on a R100 first deposit, and at 100 points to R1, that's R6 to gooi back into play from the cashier's Redeem Comps section, where the minimum redemption is 100 points. It's a small nugget, but the diggers of 1886 would have pocketed it!
Raise a Glass to Jozi – Claim Your Welcome Package at Springbok Casino!
In 140 years, a few gold claims on Langlaagte became Joburg, and you can stake your own here at Springbok Casino today. Redeeming your first coupon is a kief way to toast the city! Claim our online casino welcome bonus across your first three deposits, keep an eye on your account inbox for the live and personalised offers we send, and remember that terms can change, so confirm before redeeming. Happy birthday, Jozi… and happy digging, Bokke!
Quick FAQs on Our Online Casino Welcome Bonus at Springbok
A birthday, three Georges and three coupons make for a full article, so a few questions about our online casino welcome bonus may still be on your mind. We've kept the answers short and taken every fact and figure from our promotions page, so you can check each one for yourself. If your question isn't here, our support team on live chat will gladly answer it. These four answers are the ones to read before you redeem your first coupon in our cashier:
Q: When is Johannesburg's birthday?
A: On 4 October. President Paul Kruger proclaimed Rantjeslaagte and Langlaagte as public diggings on that date in 1886, and the city's 140th birthday fell on 4 October 2026.
Q: What is the online casino welcome bonus at Springbok Casino?
A: Three match coupons on your first three deposits: SPRINGBOK100 at 100% up to R1,500, then SPRINGBOK50 at 50% up to R5,000, twice. Together they're worth up to R11,500.
Q: What is the minimum deposit for the Springbok welcome bonus?
A: R25 for each of the three coupons in our online casino welcome bonus. Lightning Bitcoin deposits start at R25, so a single R25 deposit is enough to redeem the first coupon.
Q: Which games can I play to clear the welcome bonus wagering?
A: All slots, Real-Series Video Slots included, plus Keno, Bingo, Scratch Cards and 7 Stud Poker. Your bets in these games are added to the 30x playthrough on our online casino welcome bonus.