Benefitting from Illegal Moves?

In a tournament I just played, my opponent had 17 seconds remaining on his clock, and played an illegal move. I pointed it out, we stopped the clocks, and I got a director, and I was awarded 2 extra minutes of time. Under FIDE rules, this is the penalty for the first illegal move - the second loses the game.

But didn't my opponent benefit from his illegal move here? He got much longer than 17 seconds to think, while the clocks were stopped, and I didn't need an extra 2 minutes. His illegal move was also such that the touch-move rule did not harm him.

So, if you're in time trouble, why would you not make a proposterous illegal move that won't be affected by the touch move rule? Perhaps you could pick up a pawn that is blockaded (so it can't move = no touch/move concerns) and capture the enemy king with it from across the board. Your opponent would have to point out that that's illegal, and you'd dispute it, and he'd be forced to stop the clocks and get a tounrament director, giving you much more time to think about what "real" move you would play in the position.

I asked the director if there would be an additional penalty assessed because my opponent made the illegal move in time trouble, but apparently not. So is there any reason, besides ethics, why a player can't always play "Pe4-e8=Q" or something rediculous to gain time in time trouble? Seems like a hole in FIDE rules if this is true...

(Note that I'm not accusing my opponent of doing this on purpose...his illegal move was just not replacing a pawn on the 8th rank with a piece, which is illegal under FIDE (but not USCF) rules, and I was lost in any case. But it did benefit him, and it'd be easy to do this intentionally under the current rules...)

How rediculous was his "illegal move"

I'd hope that my opponent would have a moral code to not try such a cheap tactic. But if he/she did, after the game I'd say to the TD to keep an eye on this person. Plus, you're getting the same amount of time for your planning.

Nope. Not the point, though

Not rediculous at all; just not replacing a promoted pawn. Not the point though; under the rules, it COULD have been a rediculous move

Keep an eye on them for what? The only penalty for a first illegal move is +2 to opponent's clock, apparently. And I didn't want the time for my planning. Time was much more valuable to him than it was to me

I'm gonna compare this to another rule.  If you're in a pretty dead drawn position, but you're low on time and your opponent is simply moving pieces to get you on time, you can call and arbiter over.  The arbiter then watches and decides to let the game continue or declare it a draw.  If someone makes a blatantly obvious illegal move WHEN they should definitely know better just to abuse the system and get more time to think, I think you could make a case of the arbiter flat out giving you the win.  Then the arbiter knows to possibly keep that player under some scrutiny.  I couldn't imagine someone actually trying to play the rules like that in a real life OTB position.  But then again, I don't play OTB so I don't know.

Yes, I know, I'm talking about the situation in general.

Very good point. Definitely a loophole IMO. I could imagine them trying to make some rule for this if there were a high profile case of it. Say someone winning a lot of money at a big open.

Maybe post this question in USCF forum.

Well, it was a FIDE violation, though it's probably even more exploitable in USCF because you can make unlimited illegal moves. I believe USCF has a rule about "intentional illegal moves," though