It does happen. Either by radio/TV giveaway or whatnot but papering the arena does occur. Wait until the last two or three weeks of the season and see if the bottom NHL clubs in attendance have a sudden spike in game attendance. It'll be there.
While it does devalue the tickets that the paid attendance have it sometimes does have a benefit when considering concession and parking revenue generated. Rarely though do the freebies buy enough food or park enough cars to make up for what an actual paid crowd would.
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