What Time Does the Super Bowl Start?

Last year’s Super Bowl in metro Phoenix was the most-watched NFL championship game of all time, averaging over 115 million viewers. Will Super Bowl LVIII break that record? We’ll find out today, when the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas will be broadcast live on CBS Sports.

The Super Bowl’s annual position at the top of the TV ratings heap has only been entrenched by the rise of legal sports betting, which U.S. states could allow beginning in 2018. Super Bowl odds have become so commonplace they’re now part of the television coverage, and Super Bowl betting sites took in more than $16 billion in wagers on the title game in 2023. With more states having legalized legal sports betting since, that figure could be even larger this time around.

So indeed, there will be lots of people crowding around the television on Sunday, from diehard fans of the teams involved, to casual football watchers, to the millions of sports bettors who’ve placed wagers on the game through  NFL betting apps. And nobody wants to flip on the TV late – so what time does the Super Bowl start, anyway?

Seven Long Hours of Pregame Coverage

Super Bowl kickoff at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, which would be 3:30 p.m. locally in Nevada. CBS has the game this year as part of its annual rotation with NBC and Fox Sports. Pregame coverage on CBS will begin at 11:30 a.m. ET, with “The NFL Today” crew broadcasting live from Allegiant Stadium and the Bellagio casino. Play-by-play man Jim Nantz and analyst Tony Romo will call the game.

But viewers won’t have to wait until Super Bowl kickoff time to take advantage of the countless  Super Bowl prop bets offered by sportsbooks, which can include the length of the national anthem (this year to be sung by Reba McEntire) and the result of the opening coin flip (which came up tails last season). 

Betting apps will also offer a bevy of wagering options ranging from standards like totals and spreads to more unique bets like specials and props that you’ll only see once a year.

Promos, Live Betting & Usher – Oh, My!

First-time sportsbook customers can also make use of Super Bowl betting promos, which typically reward new users with bonus bets that can then be used to wager on the big game. As with all  sportsbook promo codes, users must be at least 21 years old and physically in a state with legal sports betting to take advantage.

And options for how to bet on the Super Bowl don’t end with the Super Bowl kickoff — most sportsbooks also offer live betting, where customers can take advantage of swings in spreads or totals that are being constantly updated as the game goes on. And don’t forget to save a few minutes for Usher, the R&B icon who’ll be the star of the Super Bowl halftime show.

As with any Super Bowl, there’s a lot to take in, for both sports bettors and viewers alike. It all begins Sunday in Las Vegas, with the Super Bowl kickoff time set for 6:30 p.m. ET.