'Stop buying rounds to halt binge drinking'

Drinkers should be discouraged from buying rounds in pubs if the Government is serious about cutting down on binge drinking.

The advice comes from Richard Thaler, a professor at Chicago University, who is a key adviser to the Prime Minister on behavioural economics.

He suggested that groups of three or more should set up a tab to be split at the end of the night rather than buying a round, which makes drinkers obligated to buy a round for everyone.

"It is just a tradition and it has this unintended consequence," Thaler told the Daily Telegraph​.

"So if I was giving advice, I would say if there were more than three of you I would run a tab.

"These are the kinds of things that policy makers and publicans should be thinking about."

He also suggested some councils should experiment on altering the legal drinking age from 18.

"What are the limits on the abilities of councils to experiment? Could they raise or lower the drinking age?" he said.