What stays unknown until the reels stop
Eight symbols anywhere on the 6x5 grid is the shortest paying cluster, and that is all the paytable promises. When the Scatters line up, how long a session runs and whether it ends ahead are settled by the random number generator spin by spin. A 96.49% return is a long-run average across millions of rounds, never a target for one evening.
Two figures sit in this game, so the version behind the reels matters before the first stake. The 96.49% and 96.50% returns are printed in the game rules panel, reachable from the paytable, and that panel is the only place the running figure is stated. Compare it before choosing a stake.
The 15,000x ceiling is a hard stop the round can enforce, not a likely result. Clearing it means a free spins sequence with multiplier orbs stacking into the thousands, and most rounds finish nowhere near the cap. Treat that number as the outer edge of what the game pays, not as a plan.