The betting agency had also put their money where their mouth is in pledging to refund any losing exact score bets on the game if the Ricki Herbert-coached Kiwis had won but failed to qualify.
One thing's for certain - the bookmakers would have kept the heart pills not far from the TV remote control as the New Zealanders put behind a 3-0 halftime deficit to win back a modicum of respectability in the second leg after Mexico thumped them 5-1 in Mexico City, blunting any hopes of making it to the sought-after biggest team sport platform in the world.
It was also a befitting way for Herbert to finish an eight-year reign that saw him take the All Whites to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after a thrilling victory at the Cake Tin over Bahrain, most memorable for Hawke's Bay-born goalkeeper Mark Paston denying the Middle Easterners an equaliser from the penalty-kick spot.
"What a revelation in the second half," the former All White said. "Hopefully I get to watch an exciting team challenge for Russia in 2018."
Proud to inject some youth last night, Herbert said he wouldn't mind buying a ticket in another four years to watch the likes of Marco Rojas, Bill Tuiloma, Louis Fenton and others play in Wellington.
Passionate about his defence, Herbert's coaching philosophy was synonymous with eking out draws - something the All Whites did with aplomb in every game they played at the 2010 World Cup, including holding European powerhouses Italy to 1-1 to finish unbeaten.
As it turned out, the 3-5-2 formation new Mexico coach Miguel Herrera employed last night for the El Tri was superior to Herbert's 4-4-2 as the Central American visitors beat the hosts' offside trap time and again.
Ultimately it was always about proving to the followers of the beautiful game that New Zealand can adopt an attacking brand because people, like last night, can stomach defeats provided they boot off the park the paranoia of conceding goals to offer the fans their money's worth of entertainment.
"We strung a few passes together tonight and hopefully we can build on that for the future," was captain Tommy Smith apt summary.
The hosts made their intentions clear from the first whistle when the visitors lost possession after the opening passage of play.
Mexico striker Oribe Peralta quashed any hopes of qualifying in the first half with a hattrick of goals, going into a feeding frenzy off his five midfielders supplying quality passes.
The 29-year-old, with 27 caps and a dozen goals before the clash, found the net in just the 14th minute when he received a pass in the middle of the field to ease into the 18m box and slip it past goalkeeper Glen Moss.
Peralta coolly chipped the ball over a sliding Moss with a defender shadowing him.
Cruelly that ice breaker came only three minutes after Rojas came close to giving Mexico goalkeeper Moises Munoz a decent workout.
The tourists threatened a similar attacking move from the spine of the field in the 24th minute but five minutes later exploited New Zealand's left flank for a crisp finish from about 7m out for a 2-0 lead.
No lip-reading expert was required to interpret Moss' frustration in the 29th minute when Peralta bagged his third goal after Mexico again exposed the left flank in the 33rd minute.
Three minutes later a Mexico attacker had worked the ball behind Moss but Smith, charging back to his far post, slid to deny the visitors another goal despite ramming his shin on to the upright.
Two minutes later, striker Jeremy Brockie's came under some scrutiny from TV commentators after he threw himself at the Mexico goalkeeper as the referee awarded a freekick.
The 26-year-old Wellington Phoenix striker, who has never scored for his country in 43 caps, will have to wait for the next international to exorcise his demons after keeper Munoz parried his attempt. Brockie broke the cardinal rule of indicating with his body language where he was always intending to slot the ball.
Substitute Rory Fallon threatened in the 61st minute to reignite his heroics of the last World Cup qualifier at the same venue but it was Mexico who butchered a four on two scoring opportunity nine minutes later.
With Moss beaten, Fenton cleared the ball from a gaping goalmouth.
In the 74th, Mexico again missed a chance as the ball went begging past the far post from a pin-point pass across the face of the goalmouth.
Coach Herrera took off Peralta a minute later but it was the Kiwis who had the fans roaring when the officials missed a deliberate defensive handball.
It didn't matter as four minutes later justice prevailed when a Costa Barborouses challenge yielded a penalty kick which last round's goal scorer, Chris James, converted to make it 3-1.
In the 83rd Fallon finished off a cross to narrow the gap to 3-2 but four minutes later Carlos Pena silenced the crowd with a goal.
