Does a 96% RTP mean I get 96% back?

Not over anything you will personally play. RTP is a theoretical long-run average measured across millions of simulated rounds. A 96 percent figure means a house edge of 4 percent, so EUR 100 of turnover carries an expected loss of EUR 4. Wager EUR 1 per spin for 500 spins and you have staked EUR 500 with an expected loss of EUR 20, but the realistic spread of outcomes around that number is enormous and includes both an emptied balance and a large win. Session results are dominated by variance. RTP describes direction over time, never a session outcome.