New Delhi, Dec 3 (IANS): BJP MP Sushil Kumar Modi on Friday raised the issue of online gaming during zero hour at the Rajya Sabha, demanding the government to regulate the online gaming industry.

"This industry has boomed, alluring youngsters to engage with it and get addicted. The screen-time spent on online gaming has gone up from 2.5 hours in pre-Covid times to 4 hours during the lockdown," Sushil Modi said.

The industry earned Rs 13,600 crore from 43.3 crore users in FY21 and the revenue is projected to rise to Rs 29,000 crore from 65.7 crore users in FY25, he said.

The number of mobile downloads have also increased, the Rajya Sabha member said.

"Certain gaming categories like rummy, poker, bridge, fantasy sports etc. are controversial, because they encourage betting/gambling. Since such games involve money, they can lead to problems," he said.

The BJP MP said that youngsters are susceptible to the addictive lure of the thrill and since these games are online, there is no effective way to prevent kids from getting engaged with them," Sushil Modi said.

He also flagged the branding of such games as 'skill vs chance'.

"These games are labelled as 'skill games', but even these skill games require investment. The damage is already done during the so called 'skill acquisition'," Sushil Modi said.