The Tennessee Lottery’s first tickets went on sale at 12:01 a.m. local times on Tuesday, officially making it one of the fastest and most effective lottery startups in U.S. history.

By the time the games went on sale, the lottery had shipped 47 million tickets to nearly 3,500 retail outlets, from Memphis to Mountain City.

Retailers reported brisk sales during the first hours following kickoff. The first instant-win ticket in the amount of $2 was cashed at 12:03 a.m. EST at Tellico Pride, 141 Bank St. in Tellico Plains.

Lottery retailer-service representatives manned phone lines throughout the night, fielding calls with last-minute questions about lottery games and equipment.

At 10 a.m. CST, Gov. Phil Bredesen and sponsors of the lottery legislation, state Sen. Steve Cohen and state Rep. Chris Newton, joined lottery President and CEO Rebecca Paul for an up-close look at first-day sales at Florence Station, an independent retail outlet in Murfreesboro.

Bredesen commended the lottery’s Board of Directors and employees for a successful startup that came three weeks earlier than expected.

“Short term, this early startup will generate millions of extra dollars for college scholarships,” Bredesen said. “Long term, the lottery should be a stable source of scholarship funding for years to come.” He added: “The board, the management and the entire lottery organization should feel proud of how much they’ve accomplished in a relatively short period of time.”

By late morning, Paul said, initial ticket sales appeared strong statewide and that players already were winning and redeeming prizes.

“We’re looking forward to providing fun and entertainment for Tennessee players,” Paul said. “Most importantly, we’re excited about generating dollars for education programs in the Volunteer State.”

Local stores reporting first day numbers included Huck’s Market, 3,882 tickets with several $40 winners and Suiter’s Service, 3,332 tickets with at least one $50 winner.