‘The Gambler’ is a gripping narrative of the dangers of an addiction to gambling. As was common with Dostoyevsky’s writing he draws upon his own life in a semi-autobiographical way in ‘The Gambler’. Dostoyevksy himself suffered from a compulsion to gambling and those first-hand experiences bring a depth of realism to ‘The Gambler’ and to his portrayal of the main character, Alexis Ivanovitch, a young man addicted to gambling. ‘The Gambler’ is an insightful look at the compulsive nature of the gambling addict and the tragic consequences of such an addiction.