Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote ‘The Gambler’ after losing most of his money by gambling and entering into a hazardous contract with F. T. Stellovsky that if he did not deliver a novel of 12 or more signatures by 1 November 1866, Stellovsky would acquire the right to publish Dostoevsky’s works for nine years without any compensation to the writer. The book is therefore a very accurate and personal portrayal of the allure of gambling, and the damage it can do.