What 96.50% RTP means
The base-game RTP is listed as 96.50%. This is a calculated proportion returned across an extremely large sample of stakes. It does not mean that one player must receive $96.50 back from every $100, and it sets no time frame for convergence.
How volatility appears
The supplied rules label volatility as medium. That still allows long quiet stretches and rare large outcomes: a 50,000× maximum naturally sits far out in the result range. Stake size changes the money at risk, not the randomness of the sequence.
What a player can control
Focus on what you can control: total budget, session length and stake size. Changing speed, time of day or bet patterns cannot raise RTP or make the next grid more likely to pay.