Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma urges recognition of esports and strict online gaming regulations to protect India’s youth.
MP Kartikeya Sharma calls for official esports status and stronger online gaming rules, balancing India’s gaming growth with child safety.
Future of India’s Online Gaming: Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma established the critical gaming regulation issue for India during his Zero Hour speech in the Rajya Sabha on February 10 2026. The industry serves as a vital component of India, which aims to achieve a $1 trillion digital economy through its 500 million gamer base and $3.7 billion market value. Kartikey Sharma emphasized that organizations should develop their operations by maintaining their social responsibility duties.
Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma strongly advocated granting official sports status to esports. He stated that proper recognition would establish training programs together with scholarship opportunities and professional leagues, which would operate as traditional sports do. India's gaming market will grow to $10 billion by 2030, while the AVGC sector needs approximately 20 lakh skilled workers.
The industry will create more job opportunities through its recognized status, which will also draw international investors and advance India's competitive gaming industry.
Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma issued a warning about the dangers that exist with unregulated amateur online gaming activities. He cited studies that showed that children who played video games excessively developed anxiety and depression together with attention disorders.
He proposed that streaming platforms should implement stronger age verification protocols, which should include content audits to assess their material and require better monitoring to stop harmful content from reaching young users.
Rajya Sabha MP Kartikeya Sharma's statements support the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act (PROGA) 2025, which created a framework for the regulation of online gaming through game classification and the exclusion of skill-based esports from gambling operations.
The dual-track system of Sharma's vision enables professional esports development while establishing security measures to protect children from online dangers. The responsible regulation of the Indian gaming industry will serve as the primary factor that enables its economic expansion.
